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Contents

Africa-Japan Essay and Speech Competition (A-JESC): Prize ceremonv 2

Programme 2

Objectives 3

Selection Criteria 3

Co-Sponsors 3

Nominal Sponsorship 3

Co-Organizers 3

Mr. Vuyani Lingela, Counsellor, Science and Technology, South African Emb~ssy in Japan -

Programme Director 4

Dr. Kurokawa, President, Science Council of Japan 4

Dr. Bethuel Sehlapelo, Deputy Director-General:

Frontier S& T Programme, Department of Science and Technology, South Africa 6

HE Ambassador Yoichi Otabe, Director-General:

Sub-Saharan African Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan 10

Essay Presentations 11

Ms. Nagisa Oda, Shibuya Kyoiku Gakuen Shibuya Junior a,!d Senior High School, Japan 11

Ms. Zia Maharaj, Beaulieu College, South Africa 13 -

Mr. Sikaundi Chapanga, St. Andrews High School, Zambia 16

Ms. Jerida Maphoto, Khaiso Senior Secondary School, South Africa .20

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Ms. Akane Kimura, St. Ursula Gakuin High School, Japan '"'" ~ 24

Mr. Ndashe Chibuye, Northern Technical College, Zambia .26

Ms. Yoko Kawamura, Soka University, Japan 30

Mr. Jasmeer Jaichand Ramlal, University of Pretoria, South Africa ; 33

Mr. Hibusu Ladislas, University of Zambia, Zambia) 41

HE Ambassador Dr. Ben Ngubane, Ambassador of South Africa - Announcement of Prizes 49

Mr. Tetsuo Hirasawa, Senior General Manager, Corporate Communications Center, Canon Inc., Japan 50

Mr. William Mumbi, Director: Science and Technology, Ministry of Science, Technology and

Vocational Training, Zambia 51

Experiences in Japan on 15-22 July 2006 52

Experiences in South Africa and Zambia on 23-30 July 2006 54

Contact Information 58

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Africa-Japan Essay and Speech Competition (A-JESC):

Prize Ceremony --.-------------

Event

Africa-Japan Essay and Speech Competition

"Making science and technology a foundation for partnership between Africa and Japan"

13hOO-17hOO, Friday, 21 July 2006

Science and Council of Japan 7-22-34, Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 03-3403-3793

Date Place Tel

Language: English and Japanese (simultaneous interpretation)

Programme

13hOO-13h05 Welcoming Address - Dr. Kiyoshi Kurokawa, President, Science Council of Japan

13h05-13h15 Keynote Address - Dr. Bethuel Sehlapelo, Deputy Director-General: Frontier S&T Programme, Department of Science and Technology, South Africa

13h15-13h25 Keynote Address - HE Ambassador Yoichi Otabe, Director-General: Sub-Saharan African Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan

13h25-13h30 Introduction of students

13h30·14h15 Speech Presentation - 2 junior high school students

14h15-15hOO Speech Presentation - 3 high school students

15hOO-15h45 Speech Presentation - 4 university students

15h45-16h20 Break and Judging time

16h20-16h55 Announcement of Prizes - HE Ambassador Dr. Ben Ngubane, Ambassador of South Africa to Japan

Presentation of Awards - Mr. Tetsuo Hirasawa, Senior General Manager, Corporate Communications Center, Canon Inc., Japan

16h55·17hOO Closing Statement - Mr. William Mumbi, Director: Science and Technology, Ministry of Science, Technology and Vocational Training, Zambia

18hOO·20hOO Buffet Dinner - Ambassador's Residence of the Republic of Zambia

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Objectives --,--~----~-~-~...,..-~~-

• To promote science and technology cooperation between Africa and Japan to improve the quality of life for all.

• To promote public understanding of science and technology for sustainable development.

• To inspire a new generation of African and Japanese students to contribute in promoting partnership between Africa and Japan for mutual benefit.

Selection Criteria ~-------------

Essays should incorporate any possible area of cooperation in science and technology, including science and technology for sustainable development, science and technology for competitiveness, and science and technology for poverty reduction. Essays can also assume any form, including an account of historical events such as the efforts of the Japanese bacteriologist, Dr. Hideyo Noguchi, who died of yellow fever in Ghana, where he had been conducting research to free the people of Africa from the scourge of that disease. Essays can also be presented in the form of proposals suggesting new areas for future cooperation in science and technology between Africa and Japan with specific emphasis on problems or opportunities and solutions.

Co-Sponsors

• National Department of Science and Technology, South Africa

• South African Embassy in Japan

• Canon Inc.

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Nominal Sponsorship

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• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan

• Science Council of Japan

Co-Organizers

• National Department of Science and Technology, South Africa

• South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA)

• South African Embassy in Japan

• Zambian Embassy in Japan

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Mr. Vuyani Lingela, Counsellor, Science and Technology,

South African Embassy in Japan - Programme Director

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for coming to the Science Council of Japan on this occasion of the Africa-Japan Essay and Speech Competition. My name is Vuyani Lingela, the Counsellor for Science and Technology at the South African Embassy. This afternoon, we are really pleased to have outstanding students from South Africa, from Japan, and from Zambia - high-school students as well as university students. We are really privileged to have these outstanding young people coming all the way from Africa to Japan. The Japanese students will be going to Africa. We truly appreciate your efforts in writing essays. Just in order to move forward, I will request Dr. Kurokawa, the President of the Science Council of Japan to say a few words. Thank you Dr. Kurokawa.

Dr. Kurokawa, President, Science Council of Japan

I welcome and I think we would like to really congratulate all the participants and the winners of this first Africa-Japan Essay and Speech Competition. This is a prize ceremony for this year. This is the first year. We have a distinguished panel and the Honorable Ambassador, and also I was privileged to review all the submitted essays by Japanese applicants. Many were outstanding, and it was very difficult to choose only three from the Japanese side. I say welcome and jambo.

What does jambo mean? Do you know what jambo means? This is Swahili, saying hello. How do I know that? Because I was in Kenya three weeks ago, about one week for the convention of WHO and discussed about many social issues to improve health status not as a sort of medical aspect because there are so many social issues.

Approximately all the Kenyans, 56% are

I categorically poor. It may be unimaginable for many Japanese and Japanese kids. We went to see a slum in Nairobi city called Kibera slum, which is reasonably well known to the world because it embraces about half a million people in the small tiny part of the city. I think if you see that this may be unbelievable to many Japanese. You see the real world. I also visited schools for the slum kids, which is organized by the church. Facilities might be terrible, but kids, if you see their eyes you see the future. There is another school supported by the public funds, which is just outside of the slum, but these are children from the slum.

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If you go there, school class is jam-packed with kids, but all the eyes are sparkling, and teachers are very proud of their performance, and what they do because this school from grade one to eight has been the best results in Kenya for many, many years.

I see the future. There is another school supported by the public funds, which is just outside of the slum, but these are children from the slum. If you go there, school class is jam-packed with kids, but all the eyes are sparkling, and teachers are very proud of their performance, and what they do because this school from grade one to eight has been the best results in Kenya for many, many years.

I saw the future of the nation. That is what is most important. When I came back to Japan, there are many youngsters, the so-called "NEETs" [people Not in Employment, Education or Training] do not have a sense of mission, they should go there. I really encourage many Japanese youngsters and also adults in whatever category you may be, go there. Spend maybe three months. You will see the real world. That we have to commit ourselves. Think about how privileged we a~ and what will be our social responsibility, not necessarily in Japan but in Asia and the entire world. This speech contest represents a small program but the beginning of such an endeavor. Even three winners from Japan and six from South Africa and Zambia would spend 10 days or two weeks, go there see the different world. They share the future. This may be such a small program, but with your help you spread the word. This is great. We begin to see the beginning of the new world. Five or ten years from now we will build a great network.

I would to congratulate all the winners and I have to go for another meeting. I would like you to meet the delegation from China of the Chinese Academy of Science and Technology led by Prof. Feng. We have been friends for few years and they are our counterpart in China. They are an organization embracing a wide field of science disciplines, science societies and we have been developing collaboration on different levels in science and technology policies and working together embracing 11 countries of Asia under the name of Science Council of Asia. Now we already delivered three policy papers, one is Sustainability Science, the second one is Gender in Science and Technology in Asia, and the third one is Tsunami and Natural Disaster Reduction. I think we would like to deliver these policy papers to relevant policymakers and to the greater public

Mr. Lingela: Thank you very much also to Dr. Kurokawa. Thank you very much, Sir. To proceed, I will ask Dr. Bethuel Sehlapelo, the Deputy Director-General for Frontier Science and Technology Programme in the Ministry of I

Science and Technology of South Africa to say some words. Thank you, Sir.

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Dr. 8ethuel Sehlapelo,

Deputy Director-General: Frontier S&T Programme, Department of Science and Technology, South Africa

Dr. Kiyoshi Kurokawa, President, Science Council of Japan; HE Ambassador Yoichi Otabe, Ambassador of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; HE Ambassador Ben Ngubane, Ambassador of South Africa; Mr. Tetsuo Hirasawa, Senior General Manager, Canon Inc.; Mr. William Mumbi, Director of Science and Technology in Zambia; Distinguished guests; Ladies and gentlemen.

The Japanese story on human resource development. You will agree with me that one of the most inspiring stories in the history of human capital development is the revolution that started in Japan more than 135 years ago. The Meiji Restoration of 1868 marks the beginning of an unprecedented transformation in many spheres of the Japanese society. These reforms led to the establishment of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance as well as other organs of the Japanese Government.

One of the key features associated with this era is an extraordinary decision of the Japanese Government to initiate and finance the training of hundreds of Japanese students in foreign countries as well as invite foreign experts to Japan. The financial burden associated with sending hundreds of Japanese students to foreign universities to learn scientific and technological methods from the west was achieved at a high cost by the Japanese society. This was achieved at a time when there were no official development assistance programmes to support these efforts.

One hundred years later, Japan had transformed from a less-developed country to one attaining a level of development comparable to economies of Europe and the United States. In 1968 Japan became the world's second largest economy, behind only the United States. This remarkable transformation in the economy of Japan, a country poor in natural resources, is attributed to the strength of its human resources.

Why South Africa and SADC countries are supporting this competition? Inspired by the story of Japan, the Southern African Science and Technology Community (SASTeC), a community of Ambassadors in Japan of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states, launched the AfricaJapan Essay and Speech Competition. The launch took place in February at the University of Tokyo with the support of the South African Government, the Government of Japan and the Japanese private sector, particularly Canon Inc.

This speech competition aims to tap into the minds of young people and to access the most innovative ideas that Africa and Japan in partnership can implement to improve the quality of life for all. We were searching for essays focusing on any possible area of cooperation in science and technology, including science and technology for sustainable development, competitiveness and poverty reduction. We were expecting innovative proposals focusing on the use of technology to improve quality of life by creating capacity and skills for innovation, and the use of indigenous knowledge. We were also looking for innovative proposal on how to develop human capital to advance the frontiers of science and technology using cutting edge techniques such as information and communication technologies, biotechnology and manufacturing technologies to transform the low value natural and biological resources available in Africa into high value products.

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What do we hope to achieve with this speech competition? We did not lay down stringent guidelines to prospective participants on the format of the essays. We welcomed essays prepared in any form, including an account of historical events such as the efforts of the Japanese bacteriologist, Dr. Hideyo Noguchi, who died of yellow fever in Ghana where he had been conducting research on this disease. We also indicated that essays can be presented in the form of proposals suggesting new areas for future cooperation in science and technology between Africa and Japan with specific emphasis on challenges or opportunities and solutions.

We are pleased to announce that 127 junior high school, senior high school learners as well as university students from Japan, South Africa and Zambia heeded to our call to submit essays for this competition. In South Africa we received 76 essays; 33 in Zambia; and 18 essays were received in Japan from young people. Most young people who submitted essays in all three participating countries addressed the key elements required in the selection criteria for this competition.

The innovative ideas contained in their essays confirm our original idea that this competition can create a platform to inspire a new generation of African and Japanese students to contribute towards promoting partnership between Africa and Japan for mutual benefit. The winning essays that will be presented this afternoon by students reveal that this objective is attainable. The essays of the three Japanese students focus on health, environment and agriculture; the three South African students focus on information technology, human capital development and energy; while the three Zambian students address areas of agriculture, human capital development and international cooperation.

We also anticipate that as this competition reaches many more students than the ones who participated, it will support our objective to promote public understanding of science and technology for sustainable development. In the long term we believe that this competition will create a plattorm to encourage more students to pursue studies and careers in science and technology related fields.

Addressing the audience at the launch of this speech competition, Dr. Yukata Kirino, Vice-President of the University of Tokyo indicated that this essay and speech competition should give the Japanese people a very precious opportunity to learn about Africa and indicated that this would also provide an opportunity for people in Africa to learn about Japan.

This week the South African and Zambian students have grabbed this opportunity. They have been visiting several places of historical and scientific and technological importance in Japan. In Hiroshima they were moved to witness the devastation caused by the atomic bomb during the Second World War. The spirit of reconciliation and forgiveness embraced by the people of Hiroshima was truly inspiring. In Kyoto, they were overwhelmed by historical and cultural heritage of the Japanese society as presented in Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. In Nagoya they visited the Toyota Motor Corporation factory and the Toyota museum where they learned about the path of industrialization adopted by Japan as it is represented by the Toyoda family, the founders of the Toyota company. In Tokyo they visited the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan) where they observed the promise of technology at a glance.

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I mention the experiences of these young people specifically to show that this competition is creating new opportunities for young people to realize that scientific and technological development is not pursued at the expense of cultural development. If a technologically advanced country like Japan takes pride in its historical and cultural richness, we on the African continent therefore also need to continue to take pride in our rich culture. I was informed that the visit to Shibuya Kyoiku Gakuen High School was an excellent opportunity for our young people to witness the Japanese tea ceremony, one of the most important Japanese traditional ritual influenced by Buddhism in which powdered green tea is ceremonially prepared by a skilled practitioner and served to a small group of guests in a quiet setting. Their visit yesterday culminated in a tour of the Japan Soccer Museum ended with the tour of the Japan. I hope that you will have time to visit South Africa on the accession of the Soccer World Cup in 2010.

The other aspect of this competition is to instill in the minds of young people the significant role that science and technology plays in social development. If we accept that today's young people are the leaders of the future, it follows that we need to consciously cultivate their scientific and technological aspirations as well as their talents in an effort to create a better future for the new generation. As stated by Ambassador Oscar Motswagae of Botswana on the occasion of the launch of this competition, it is through exposure and access to new technologies that our youth can unleash their potential to deal with the challenges facing humanity.

Following the course of development taken by Japan we can conclude that many African countries are currently at the level of development similar to that experienced in Japan at the time of the Meiji Restoration. Some African countries are making efforts to prioritize resources to cultivate new leaders to bring about sweeping national reforms at the scale of the Meiji Restoration. on the African continent, for example, efforts asre being made to implement the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), while South Africa is also implementing the Joint Initiative on Priority Skills Acquisition (JIPSA), launched in March 2006. JIPSA is one of South Africa's concrete interventions to support the alignment of schools, universities, and technical universities in producing graduates (e.g. engineers, scientists, financialpersonnel, project managers and artisans) required to promote economic growth and development in South Africa.

If Africans seek to implement reforms similar to the Meiji Restoration in Japan, we need to take a longterm view in mobilizing resources for the specific purpose to develop skilled human resources. The 100 year history of the Japanese human capital development is an indication that we need to prepare a hundred year resource allocation plan for human capital development in Africa.

The future of this competition. The original proposal of this speech competition included all the Southern African Development Community member countries. However, it was not possible for all the SADC member countries to participate due mainly to main factors: lack of organizational and financial support.

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Organizational support refers to the ability of each participating country to initiate and manage all aspects of the speech competition. Organizational support includes announcing the competition in newspapers, on the radio and in other media; receiving and evaluating the essays; coordinating transport and accommodation for students. Financial support refers to the ability of each participating country to meet the financial obligations associated with organizing this competition. If more countries can provide both organizational and financial support for this competition we can have students from many countries participating in this competition.

Presently only Japan, Zambia and South Africa are providing organizational support to implement this competition. South Africa is currently shouldering the biggest financial burden associated with organizing this competition. We now know that this competition can be run successfully and that the benefits to future leaders in the fields of science and technology as well as the participating countries far outweighs the costs we have incurred. We have a strong will to promote it and widen its participation to other countries. But South Africa's ability to provide financial support for this competition is limited.

We are planning to have a second round of the Africa-Japan Essay and Speech Competition at about the same time in 2007, based on the success of the first round and the experience we have gained. At this point we would like to appeal to all countries interested in participating in this competition to consider organizational and financial support for its students to participate in this competition. We would also like to appeal to companies in Japan, Zambia and South Africa to continue support the implementation of this competition. It can only be to their benefit.

Next week the three Japanese students will visit South Africa and Zambia. In South Africa they Will to visit Pretoria, Cape Town, Kruger National Park and Soweto. In Cape Town they will visit Robben Island which holds memories of brutality, isolation and victimization for many freedom fighters, including former President Nelson Mandela who was imprisoned for 27 years. In recent times it came to symbolize the triumph of the human spirit over enormous hardship and adversity. The world-renowned Kruger National Park is unrivalled in the diversity of its life forms, offers one of the world's best wildlife experience and a world leader in advanced environmental management techniques and policies. In Soweto the students will visit the Hector Peterson Museum built in memory of the young victims of the 1976 Soweto uprising who fought against the country's apartheid system. In Zambia Students will visit Livingstone where they catch the splendour of Victoria Falls.

I believe we have met all the goals we have set with this competition. It has attracted much media attention; great interest from the student community and the public at large. We have given these nine outstanding young people a platform to express their innovative ideas. In the words of one of them, it is the most important thing he has achieved in his life, mostly because he did it not only for himself, but for the benefit of others in his country. Let us combine our efforts and continue with this innovative project, the Africa-Japan Essay and Speech Competition. Thank you.

Mr. Lingela: Thank you very much, Dr. Sehlapelo. One thing Dr. Sehlapelo did not tell you is that he learned Japanese. Not in Japan but in the United States. Please do challenge him. Next we will have Ambassador Otabe. Ambassador Otabe is the Director-General of the Sub-Saharan African Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Ambassador, please.

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HE Ambassador Yoichi Otabe, Director-General: Sub-Saharan African Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan

Dr. Bethuel, Ambassadors, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen and all the participants to this room, in fact last night I tried to draft a speech for myself, and I tried over five glasses of red wine from South Africa, but I gave up because I started to see the draft of the speech to be presented today and I fully understand that I am not so able as the participants today. I will say just a few words, which come to my mind right now. First of course I would like to congratulate the launching of this first essay and speech contest. I would like to express my appreciation for the efforts made especially by Ambassador Ngubane and other African Ambassadors stationed here. I would like to extend my gratitude to Canon, as well as Dr. Kurokawa for helping realizing this big event.

Between Japan and Africa I think you all know that through the process of TICAD which we started in 1993, we have been developing a relationship covering a wide range of areas, including conflict prevention, consolidation of peace, fighting infectious diseases, development and so forth. We are going to host the next TICAD conference in 2008. I think it is now high time for us to bring about a relationship to new dimensions. In that context, I think science and technology as well as the increase of human exchanges will playa very important role. Talking about science and technology, as you all know, I am not an expert in this area, so I have no intention to dwell on the importance of science and technology for the development of our countries, but I would like to introduce some elements which should be taken into consideration.

The first is the increasing scope of the usefulness of science and technology. Science and technology is important and crucial for the economic development of a country. It should play quite an important role to achieve sustainable development, to tackle environmental issues, to secure energy security, to have higher education, and so forth. At the same time, we have to think how we can further the international cooperation in this area. I am very happy to announce that between Japan and South Africa we have a bilateral agreement for cooperation in science and technology. This international cooperation should not be confined only to Japan and South Africa. The second point is with the development of science and technology; we have to think about its impact on the society as a whole. That means we have to integrate science and technology, especially its benefits, to the very fabric of society. I think these are the new elements that we have to take into consideration.

are waiting for the outstanding speeches by our young people. I prefer to use younger people because I still think I am young. We are lagging behind our time, so I have no intention to prolong my speech, but I do hope the gathering today will provide us with another platform for the enhancement of cooperation between Japan and the countries in SADC as well as Japan and Africa as a whole. Thank you very much.

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Mr. Vuyani Lingela, Counsellor, Science and T{chhology, South African Embassy in Japan - Programme Director

Thank you very much Ambassador Otabe. Now I realize that this podium will not fit some of the younger people. They are really young, Ambassador, you are right. Without taking much time, we will immediately go to the main item of today, which is an opportunity to hear the voice of the younger minds. We will first have junior high-school students to present, followed by senior high-school students, and then university students. Also, in explanation to this, in the junior high-school category, we have a Japanese student and South African students and in the senior high-school category we have a Zambian student, a South African student, and a Japanese student. In the university category, we have Zambian, South African, and Japanese students. Without taking much time, I have to decide between the two students in the junior high-school category. The first student is Ms. Nagisa Oda and the second student is Ms. Zia Maharaj. We will start by alphabet, J comes first. We will start with Japan. Please Ms. Oda. The title of her speech is Dying of Injury, Dying for Treatment.

Ms. Nagisa Oda, Shibuya Kyoiku Gakuen Shibuya Junior and Senior High School, Japan

I burst into tears when I first heard that I had to move to South Africa. I was shocked. I was horrified of lions swallowing me up in the vast desert. I was too young and never knew the reality of South Africa.

Life was not at all as simple as I thought.

I started going to an independent school in Johannesburq when I was eight. There, I felt a little awkward; most of the students and the teachers were white. I knew that there used to be racial discrimination, which separated whites and blacks, but I soon figured out that only a handful of black students were rich enough to come to private schools. This was one of the cruel realities I had to face

during my life in South Africa. r-

In South Africa, we had a black housekeeper working for our family. Her name was Nono and she was still in her late twenties when she first came to our house. Nono told us that it was her first time to work as a housekeeper and that she did not know what to do. My mother taught her everything from how to wash the dishes to how to cook Japanese food. However, my mother said that it did not irritate her at all. In fact, she said it was one of the most meaningful things she had ever done in her life.

Nono meant so much for me while I lived in South Africa. She used to play with me in the garden after school. She was always there for me to run up to and cry in her arms. She was like a big sister who I could turn to whenever I needed someone who would listen to me. I thought that that kind of relationship between me and Nono would last for the rest of our lives. And it did, although it did not last so long.

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When my mother had finished talking to the man, she came to me and told me that Nono was here. She told me every detail of what had happened when I was gone at my friend's house. She made me sit at the nearest bench. She told me that Nono was pregnant. At first I did not know what was wrong with the fact that she was pregnant. In fact I felt really happy for her. Then my mother told me that Nono did not have enough money to have children of her own. At the same time, Nono was very sick. My mother never told me what kind of disease was infecting her, but I could sense that Nono didn't have much time to live. Nono's husband had run away soon after he found out that Nono was pregnant.

After that incident, I never saw Nono again. My parents decided that it was too cruel for me to see her decline. I thought about what had happened to her, but I always ended up with the conclusion, "if only she was richer," although I knew that my thinking about Nono being rich wouldn't change anything.

Recently, I have heard that Japan has been sending medical instruments and equipment to South Africa. I found that very interesting. If this system expands more, the medical expense for the poor people will decrease, although it might turn out to be somewhat unfair to the Japanese side. So, in return, South Africa can share its minerals and other resources with Japan. South Africa is a treasure chest of natural resources. On the other hand, Japan is a country of technology. I think the two countries will make a perfect partner for each other.

I have found an article in a newspaper about Japanese cars being exported to South Africa. After I read the article, I felt a little disappointed. In South Africa, only a handful of people are able to own a car. I know that people are in need of transportation, but I am sure there are more important goods that the South Africans need. I know this because I have seen the reality.

I was only ten years old when I went through the incident with Nono. Even though I was small, I can still recall my memory like a documentary on television. Back in Japan, I still think about what had happened to her. What South Africa really needs is not any fashionable cars, cell phones, or any such technology that only the rich can use, but basic medical technology that everyone is in need of. I know that there are thousands of millions of poor people like Nono who are suffering from poverty, and not getting enough medical care.

One more thing we have to remind ourselves is that there are not only poor grownups but also children our age. Many children are dying of simple injuries while children in Japan are protected by twenty-four hour emergency hospitals and the latest medical technology. I think it is now or never that we start thinking about the reality of South Africa to make the country a better place for everyone.

Mr. Lingela: Thank you very much for the presentation. Well thought through. Amazing what 10-year olds can remember. Now we have the youngest member of this team, Ms. Zia Maharaj. She is 13 years old. She will now make a presentation. The topic of her presentation is Mutual Cooperation in the Creation of a Knowledge Economy for South Africa. Thank you.

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Ms. Zia Maharaj, Beaulieu College, South Africa

The most important requirement for any great achievement is people. Often when people share similar interests this helps them to work in a team and teamwork builds success. In this case before we examine where South Africa and Japan can work together, let us first see what the two nations have in common.

Similarities in Culture. South Africa and Japan share some similarities in history and culture. Both nations had their roots in warrior cultures. Japan has a very high respect for the Samurai fighters who were highly skilled in many fighting arts including the sword known as the 'katana'. Similarly South Africa under the leadership of the great warrior uShaka created armies of highly skilled fighting forces. Shaka was a very innovative leader who invented special spears, known as the 'assegai' for fighting from a short distance to the enemy. Shaka's soldiers were extremely disciplined and could endure the harshest

fighting conditions. ~

Similarly too, as Japan came out of World War Two and went on to build itself into a powerful and respected economic nation, South Africa is now a new democratic country and plans for many economic developments.

In Japan the parents focused a lot of attention on their children's education which led to the country producing many great inventions in science and engineering. South Africa too has now started mary similar programmes and parents want their children to get a good education. The South African government is introducing networked schools so that learners can use computer tools to improve their knowledge.

The youth in Japan are very computer literate and like using modern technologies. These patterns are starting to show in South Africa too but more must be done to improve the knowledge levels of students in science and technology so that South Africans live in the Information Society. This essay will focus on how we can work with Japan to create this Information Society in South Africa.

What is a Knowledge Economy? Well very simply, first we have to create a society that lives in the Information Age. This means that the citizens of a country must be able to access information for education through all forms but mainly where the best and latest information is available through electronic means, like through radio and television and through networked computers and computer devices.

Through access to vast repositories of information from around the world, teachers can guide students through improved learning methods. For example a rural school may not have a laboratory with all the chemicals or biology samples, but a computer programme with animation can demonstrate the outcome of the experiments to the pupils. Even a lesson in biology becomes more meaningful because through good computer based teaching pupils can view three dimensional samples, dissections trough the sample, effects of diseases etc.

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This type of learning means that pupils will have to become computer literate first and this also then leads to other achievements. Pupils can then learn how to write computer programmes or build computer networks. This will teach them about the wide range of career possibilities in engineering and technology because of the use of computer-based systems worldwide.

Once we create a nation of highly computer literate graduates, then these graduates start to work on science and engineering projects for South African industries. First what happens is that the South African youth will work to attend to our own local needs like building more roads, more hospitals, more schools and more telecommunications networks. These are basic requirements for all the citizens of our country. Then once this is complete like all international super powers, South Africa can bring international work to perform locally.

For example we will be able to set up manufacturing plants for appliances or even service-centres for computer programming or call centres. This then means that we would have built a knowledge economy because the country does not only have to rely on exporting minerals but the products of knowledge. This is what Japan has excelled in doing in the last fifty years.

Government Agreements between South Africa and Japan. A good starting point for South Africa to learn from Japan is the agreement signed by President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa and Japans' Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. Both leaders are very eager about new technologies and our President Mbeki feels very passionate about how South Africa can benefit from the use of technologies.

President Mbeki made a state visit to Japan in October 2001. An important quotation from his speech went as follows; ".Japan is for us in Africa, an important and inspiring example of how to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles to become one of the leading economies in the world. The impressive lesson that is found amongst the Japanese people - the sheer energy, industry and innovation - has on numerous occasions, helped to build and rebuild this country from setbacks, including the destructions and ruins of the Second World War. From the success of this country since the Meiji Restoration, through the breathtaking advances out of the ruins of the Second World War, I am confident that Japan has many lessons to offer many of us as we strive to create conditions that will ensure that all of humanity lives the life fit for humans."

This visit led to an important agreement of co-operation being signed on 28 August 2003. This agreement between Japan and South Africa allows for exchange of information and co-operation in specific areas of science and technologies. Both governments have already sent representatives to each country to establish programmes. Biotechnology; information and communication technology, advanced and new materials, nanotechnology; infectious diseases and S& T policy studies have been identified as the priority areas in this agreement.

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Recommendations for Joint Projects. Many projects have been initiated between South African and Japan involving tertiary institutions and research initiations since the agreement was signed. However much remains to be done so that South African can become a strong player in the knowledge economy and become a globally recognised economic force for engineering and technology solutions.

For this good work that has been started to become well known to all of South Africa and the world, I recommend the following project. I would like to see that Japan adopts at least three schools in the rural areas in there different regions. The schools must be networked through computer systems. The teachers must be trained on how to use advanced computer based training materials and the curriculum of the school must specialise in mathematics and science. The training must start at a junior level all the way through to senior level. The Department of Education must also support this programme. The best performing students must then be given bursaries to study further in engineering and science.

The results must be measured throughout the programme. I am confident of excellent results from this model and then this model can be applied to all other schools even in developed areas in South Africa. This will also address the shortage of engineers and scientists in our country at the same time. I know that there are many other programmes but I believe that this project will address a broad range of requirements and will produce better results than single results through many different programmes. By this I mean we can eventually produce regions specialising in certain solutions.

I do hope that my simple suggestions will be welcomed by the relevant authorities. I have been very fascinated by the culture and achievements in computing in Japan and I too would like to join this information age revolution to make my country, South Africa a better place for us all.

Mr. Lingela: Thank you very much, Zia. Now we are moving to another category, the category of senior high-school students. We have heard from Nagisa, who is 14 and we have heard from Zia, who is 13. Now we are starting a new category of the 15-year olds and 17 -year olds. Here, in this category we havefirst, from Japan Ms. Akane Kimura, who is 17. We have from South Africa the 15 year old Ms. Jerida Maphoto and from Zambia we have the 17 year old Mr. Sikaundi Chapanga. This time we will reverse--the process. We have here two ladies and

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one gentleman. I will first ask Mr. ~ha-

panga, the topic of his presentation is Science and Technology for Poverty Reduction.

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Mr. Sikaundi Chapanga, St. Andrews High School, Zambia

There are many ways in which Science and Technology can help Africa and Zambia in particular in their quest for sustainable development. In this essay I am going to discuss at length on Science and Technology as a sustainable development relating to how it has and can help Zambian children in secondary schools.

Definition of Sustainable Development

One of my teachers once said denying a child the basis right of education is like taking a fish out of the river and expecting it to survive. Being a secondary school pupil, I firmly believe in education and infrastructure as key areas in which partnership with Japan can facilitate sustainable development. I understand sustainable development as "the development that is taking place now which ensures that future generations are not incapacitated to meet their own development goals through the depletion of natural resources on which all development is based". In my view, the capacity of Zambians to sustainably manage development is highly dependent on the levels of investments in education especially in areas of Science and Technology.

Japan through various programs has been helping the Zambian youth especially in the following areas:

Education. In Zambia's PRSP (Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper) of 2002, education is highlighted as the key area that can help the fight against poverty. Sustainable development can be achieved once the nation is educated through science and technology. Schools especially in rural areas have had quality learning through overseas teachers and instructors. A good example of this is JOCV (Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers) teachers that can be found in schools that are not necessarily along the line of rail. Their knowledge can be poured into the students. An example of the schools that have benefited from Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers is Mumbwa I Secondary School in Central Province. Science and Agriculture Science have been encouraged in schools this knowledge gained at secondary school can later be used. Japanese programs have encouraged:

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Competitions that bring out the creativeness of students have been introduced examples of these is the Junior Engineers Technicians and Scientist (JETS) competition. This is done at School, District Provincial and national levels. This helps students look at subjects like mathematics, Chemistry, Physics and Biology from different perspectives. It is creates a desire to bettering the nation through science technology

Student exchange programmes can be used to expose pupils to development in the areas of Science and Technology the supply of education materials like books will also be of great importance. Books on Science and Technology also broaden pupilas minds and exposure.

Infrastructure. This is also a key area cooperating partners like Japan can help Africa in sustainable development through the building of schools that puts science and technology a priority in their teaching process. Examples are:

• Secondary schools and science laboratories that have been build in various parts of the country using support from Japan.

• Support to skills training centers and the equipment of the laboratories with modern scientific thus making experiments educative and interesting.

• The introduction of computers to schools so as to train pupils on the basics. The world today is at ones finger tips due to the internet students can be introduced to the worldwide web were all kinds of information can be retrieved. The building of computer labs is of great importance to Zambian Schools. Donation of computers can also in the quest for better

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education. Computers that may be of no use in Japan could be well utilized in Zambian

schools were there are none.

Other areas, apart from education and infrastructure there are other areas which are vital in the facilitation of sustainable development. There are:

Mining

Zambia like many other countries has been blessed with vast mineral deposits. These can be used in the development of Africa as a whole. This creates employment and the funds raised can be directed into development programmes. Science and Technology has helped this sector with equipment and machinery thus exploiting the natural resources to the full. Since Zambia's development is highly dependant on this sector, Japan can help Zambia by strengthening the teaching of the mining technology in secondary schools for future sustainable exploiting of the resources.

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Agriculture. Unlike mining which is diminishing resource, agriculture is one of the best ways of facilitating suitable development and Zambia is blessed with abundant rich land and water resources. Science and Technology has helped in this area by the introduction of new and effective ways of farming. Machinery and equipment has helped more from the use of hand tools to the use of ploughs and the use of irrigation system. This means one can be a farmer all year round. Unlike the way it used to be where one only farms during the rain season or when one's farm has a stream passing through. Science and Technology in this sector need to be introduced or strengthened at youth level so that Zambia can be self reliant in food production.

Healthcare. Zambia to sustainably manage its economy will need a healthy population. Japan has rendered support to this nation in many ways, e.g. building of medical laboratories for both research and medical tests, strengthening of laboratory support in secondary schools, strengthening of the teaching of biology and other science subjects in the schools etc. Although eradication of diseases such as small pox is a difficult fight, the world and Zambia in particular is much beUer. The fight to eradicate as much diseases as possible (e.g. Polio), though difficult is slowly turning into a reality. Science and Technology has brought about medicines that help fight diseases like anti-retroviral (ARV's) that boost the immune system and prolong the life span of HIV positive people. Countries like Japan can help by the sending of medical personnel to help and work with local health workers and also help in the building of laboratories that can be used in the medical research. Co-operations between Japan and Africa can be put in place where medicines can be acquired easily from Japan.

Transport and Power. The water sector is a vital area to be considered in the quest for sustainable development. The sinking of boreholes especially in rural areas has helped to bring development in remote areas. Provision of clean water has helped to reduce incidences of diseases especially among the children and their by preserving a population that can help in the management of the nation's future development. Japan through JICA programs has been very active in this sector, especially in peri-urban areas. However, I feel this support should be strengthened by teaching the technologies being used to pupils in schools so that Zambia can in future manage its own water resources sustainably.

A proper road network will ensure routes for family produce reach the market and also open doors for cross borders trading. Aid in the form grants/loans for road construction and the sinking of boreholes to help most African countries move a step in bringing about sustainable development. Japan has been very active in this area. Good roads will ensure more development in rural areas, and with more development, there are more schools and hence an educated nation to properly manage a nation's development

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In conclusion, I would say that the former republican President Dr Kenneth Kaunda in most of his speeches refers to the "growing trees as the future forests". Investing in quality education, education for pupils of the next generation especially in crucial subjects such as mathematics, science and technology. We need to achieve early, new knowledge in sustainable development in which science and technology must provide. This is essential to increasing our abilities to deal with sustainable development challenges. Pupils should be taught and trained how to overcome hindrances faced by Zambia.

In acquiring education, statistics show that 50% of African children·

have not had a chance to education due to high fees and less school places which are limited to accommodate a large population intending to enter secondary school. Africa needs to be helped to reach a point of self reliance. Science and Technology has and can help Africa and

Zambia in particular to be self reliant, and this highly depends on an educated population. Break through in agriculture, health, education and mining, to mention just a few, are facilitating the much desired sustainable development. We appreciate Japan's desire to help and hope that this cooperation continues.

Mr. Lingela: Thank you very much. Again going through the list in reverse, now I will ask the 15-year old Ms. Jerida Maphoto from South Africa. The title of her presentation is Making Science and Technology a Foundation for Partnership between Africa and Japan. Thank you.

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Ms. Jerida Maphoto,

Khaiso Senior Secondary School, South Africa

Science and technology is a very important sector on which all human activity depends. It is a sector which plays leading role in terms of the economic growth of all countries. As we know that every sector depends on it, we have to really work together as countries to ensure quality in terms of innovation, invention and production.

Science and technology is changing lives of people globally and it is making life become easy. It enables us to have more access to better information and communication systems and that is why today we can be connected as counties to work together towards creating a better life through science and technology. Science and technology is fast becoming a backbone of every country's economy. Many countries such as the South Africa consider agriculture as a backbone of their economy, but know that without using technology through agriculture, production will decrease.

Japan as it is very innovative, productive and inventive, can help build a strong foundation for partnership with Africa. Both Africa and Japan are hard workers and through partnership they can manage to tackle some of the challenges Africa is facing such as poverty. For instance both Africa and Japan can produce many scientists who will take science and technology to another level. The upgrading of Science and Technology need togetherness so, African and Japanese scientists can meet to discuss various challenges they are facing as countries, how they can make life easier, and what to do in terms of showing skills to African people.

Africa's biggest challenge at the moment is poverty and Science and Technology as a foundation for partnership can help tackle the challenge as it will help job opportunities. Japan as it is a very wealthy country, has even produced two legged robots that can walk, seeing-eye robots to aid the blind, and robots that wait on customers in restaurants. It clearly shows that science and technology would be a solid foundation for a partnership between Africa and Japan.

Globally, we are facing a huge challenge to find a cure for various incurable diseases and through science and technology Japan and Africa can stand together to find a cure for diseases such as HIV and Aids and polio. Most industries that we depend on such as mining depend on science and technology so much as does agriculture, because farmers use certain chemicals to protect their plants and livestock and also certain machines to increase productivity. Since Japan is an island nation, it is not surprising that shipbuilding is one of its major industries. They have made oil rigs, supertankers, ferryboats and ships with energy saving. Through sharing technology, Africa could also be able to build ships.

Since 1980, Japan has led the world in the production of automobiles and that shows that technology in Japan is very effective. Thus, through partnership with Japan, Africa could be developed and technology could sustain and grow our economies. Science and technology is the most important sector making the economy grow well in any country, in terms of improving our standards of innovation, inventions and production. By being in partnership, Japan and Africa will help sustain sectors such as farming, mining, fishing and other sectors. Through strong partnership with Japan, both Africa and Japan can produce another Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo or Blaise Pascal who were inspiring scientists.

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Science and technology can make life easier. Information Technology is one of the most important technologies ever created as, for a country to produce or to export goods to other countries, it needs very strong information systems in terms of communicating to the world at large. Japan is considered as a beloved country in Africa and around the world as it is exporting different goods worldwide. Africa too is a beloved continent with her scientists and technologists who still need to be more in partnership with countries from other continents.

Japanese are hard workers. It is the largest economy recently overtaking even the United States of America. It is a highly developed country and most homes in Japan are full of all kinds of electronic gadgets. This is a very interesting thing because through science and technology that is what they had achieved. The fact that Japan has very few raw materials has not stopped the Japanese from producing a multitude of manufactured goods. More products in electronics, computers, cars, steel, industrial machinery are made in Japan than in any other country. So, a country as productive such as Japan would be a good partner for African countries. Africa can stand a chance-to have big industries exporting heavy goods to other continents which will help in terms of sustaining the economy.

Many people around Africa have been dying from various causes as a result of using coals, burning fires etc. Today as we are using technology such as electrical stoves, kettles and other appliances our lives had been improved and also saved from harmful gases that coal produces during burning. The Japanese have improved their standard of living through determination, hard work and cooperation. If Japan forms partnerships in Africa, the standard of living of Africans can be improved. Africa will become more - industrialized and our partnership will be of great importance. Science and technology is alive with everything that people need and it is waiting for our countries to show each other ways to create what is needed and to avoid various challenges. Both Africa and Japan can meet to discuss different ways of

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solving problems through science and technology.

Making science and technology a foundation for partnership between Africa and Japan is a great idea because in the very near future Japanese hope to be whisking trains passengers along at speeds of oyer five hundred kilometres per hour. Japanese engineers are working to perfect an entirely new type of train known as maglev, which is for short for" magnetically levitated". The maglev is a vehicle without wheels that looks like a cross between a Shinkansen and a space craft. How amazing is this? Japan is a superpower. The partnership will be a very influencing one because the societies are benefiting very much on various projects of technology.

The "bullet train" or Shinkansen, is now the fastest train on earth. The maglev will soon surpass the Shinkansen for comfort, silence and speed! By being in partnership, I suggest that such projects can be brought to Africa so that science and technology in Africa is taken to another level. Through partnership, transport system, information system and machines used in various industries would be improved. New technologies would be invented. Science and technology is not an easy thing and that is why it can stand to be a solid foundation for partnership between Africa and Japan.

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Through partnership, both Africa and Japan will involve more women. By so doing women can realise that improving life does not mean that a person should be a man or a woman. In future we will have more women who are doing us proud as in the history we can have the first woman from Japan or Africa to create an important product to make life easy. What we need as people is quality in terms of production, innovation and invention. So all kinds of doctors, dieticians, dermatologists, soil scientists, farmers, zoologists, botanists and other specialists from Japan and Africa can meet to discuss about how they can do in terms of uplifting their standard of innovation, production and inventions.

Science and Technology can be taken to another level if young people do their best in it. If during partnership, young S-Africans and N-Africans can be send to Japan to go study here and young Japanese be send to Africa to come and study there, a partnership will be a very successful one.

Science and technology will not only be a foundation for partnership but also help sustain the economies of both Africa and Japan. Through supporting each other as countries we will playa leading role because Africa is a developing nation and without science and technology, the road to development won't be easy. As far as science and technology is concerned, it will not only help Africa economically but socially as well. Through projects that will be started, it will increase job opportunities. Through learnerships and scholarships that will be awarded to future scientists to go study in other parts of the world, it will give people knowledge and proper skills to create things by themselves.

Through partnership most sectors such as farming can benefit as proper working machines can be imported from Japan and properly skilled people can be sent to Africa to teach people so that Africa can be able to create and export them to other countries. Japan can playa leading role in terms of producing future engineers and also invest in our continent as Africa is a developing nation. Working together as partners we can send raw materials to each other and production will take place so that at the end of the day the cost of living is not too much higher.

Although communication is a priority, old ways and machines must be improved. Today we are using cellular phones and cameras including vehicles. The most important tool used in communication or information technology is computers, so it must be a little bit improved and this message I send to technologists and highly skilled scientists or experts. Computers should be able to be used daily by almost each and every individual, so if it could be that one computer be shared by no more than 20 people, it would be a great advance.

Through science and technology as a foundation for partnership, everything is possible. One of the biggest challenges Africa if facing is pollution, which it is not easy to tackle. It is still going on. Through partnership Africa and Japan can stand to discuss how they can tackle the challenge. Many kinds of pollution have occurred as a result of Japan's rapid industrial growth. Between 1950 and 1970, Japan did not put much thought or effort into pollution control. In every big city, factories spewed smoke into the air and dumped toxic waste into the water.

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Soon people from contaminated areas began to suffer from pollution related diseases. Many of these diseases are known around the world by Japanese names as they were first identified in Japan. For instance, metals such as mercury and cadmium found their way into the food chain. The disease caused by mercury poisoning is known worldwide as minimata, and cadmium causes the disease itai-itai, which means "it hurts-it hurts" in Japanese. People with these diseases suffer severe pain, brain disorder, brittle bone and birth defects. What if all these happened II ~ in Africa? So through Science and Technology as a foundation for 1l~_""""==""""""",,,,"";'11!1!!1!!~~~==-partnership, all shall be done by both Africa and Japan to ensure healthy living and that lives of people are safe.

Countries like Japan are considered as recycling champions and this shows that through partnership with Africa, Africans too will be the recycling champions. Through effective use of technology and science, all recycled materials will be reproduced and be turned into useful objects. Science and technology is a very important sector which people depend on in terms of health. Most diseases such as cholera are still challenging as in most African countries people are dying of cholera as a result to water pollution. Science and technology as a foundation for partnership will sustain various sectors such as health, social sector and economic sector.

In conclusion, various programmes having been created through partnership will benefit the nations of Africa as African countries will gain various skills and as a result they will be able to export more goods to different countries around the world. Through partnership everything is possible and both Africa and Japan can solve all kinds of challenges through science and technology.

Mr. Lingela: Thank you very much Jerida. Very, very, very good. We now have our third speaker in the high school category. This is ,MS. Akane Kimura, she is 17. Are you ready? The title of her essay is Africa to the Green Earth. Welcome.

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Ms. Akane Kimura, St. Ursula Gakuin High School, Japan

I had an experience I will never forget. It was an encounter with Agnes Chan, a singer and JapanUNICEF Ambassador, who has been visiting many parts of the world and tackling various issues. I always wanted to see her and she happened to be in my town to perform a concert. I felt compelled to call her office. I negotiated with the staff and was finally able to see her.

Agnes visits Africa as the Ambassador every year. My images of Africa were "a paradise with many wild animals living freely together with human beings, and a place where my favorite chocolate and tea came from". However, my images of Africa changed dramatically after I saw her. Agnes, who had just visited Sudan, talked to me about the dire situation she saw there. "Bombs drifting down like fireworks in the night sky, under which shivering children were forced to carry a gun. The scorching sun sucking up water from the earth. Surrounded by the dry land were a parent and a child, hungry with no food .... " I felt as if I was in a cruel video game.

It is not that I knew nothing about such issues in Africa. But there are a lot of difficult situations in Africa, much more difficult than I imagined. In the region called "Black Africa", 60% of the people are forced to spend a day with less than a dollar. Even today there are endless conflicts. Food shortages as a result of rapid population increase are another problem.

The situation in Africa is completely different from that in Japan. Why is there such a difference although we all live on the same earth? I think that environmental problems and food are partially contributing to the problem. While there is too much food in Japan, people in Africa cannot even eat properly. One of the causes is the climate. In Africa, it rains a lot in winter, which makes it difficult for plants to grow in such conditions. However, there are other causes - drought, salt damage, environmental problems, such as global warming and desertification. Human life has great impact on the environment and drought is the most serious. The land in Africa is extremely infertile and irrigated farmland is only 4%. That is, 96% of the farmland is rain-fed and depends completely on the weather. Moreover, about 60% of such land is chronically drought-parched. When a drought strikes, the people on the land move to another place and cut the trees to develop new farmland. As a result, the land loses water and become barren. They cut down forests to get food. The drought spreads, and then the environmental problems get worse. They are caught in a vicious cycle.

Therefore, I wondered. Is it possible to grow plants that can survive drought? I thought conflicts and poverty would never end unless environmental and food problems were solved. And I started to study how to obtain food in a drought-parched area, as a way to break the cycle. I have been involved in testing inhibitors of plant hormone, under Professor Shigeo Yoshida of RIKEN, a research institute. In this study, we use a chemical called Brz. It is a chemical to inhibit plant hormone called brassinosteroid. Functions of this chemical are not yet understood with many things unclear. However, the studies have shown that plants with this chemical can grow with less sunlight than usual. It is effective especially for vegetables that need lots of sunshine. This study result shows the possibility of growing vegetables in harsh conditions. I made a report of this study and received the Japan Student Science Award last year.

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There is also something else I noticed in the study of drought. On a hot summer day I forgot to water plants and rushed I outside. Then I was surprised to see the plants with Brz were I standing straight while the control plants were withered. This I incident made me think that plants with Brz are resistant to I dryness. I am currently conducting research using cyclamens to measure how much water is necessary for the growth of plants. I have not yet obtained the result, but it is clear that the Brz-sprayed plants do not need as much water.

Moreover, it is generally said that drought-resistant plants are also salt-resistant. In drought-stricken Africa, there is another problem that, when the sun dries off the land, underground salt accumulates on the land surface and prevents plants from growing. I think the plants sprayed with Brz are salt-resistant since they are drought-resistant. I am going to study drought-resistance and salt-resistance more thoroughly this year.

I would like to go to college and continue this study. As global warming increases, we can say that Africa is one of the most affected areas. Africa is a sacred place where human beings were considered to have first been born. In such a place, green plants are getting scarce, people are starving and there are endless conflicts. This situation will lead to destruction of all living creatures including human beings. Therefore, we need to treat Africa as the origin of "life", and interact and cooperate with other people to solve these problems.

Now many people in the world act in consideration of the environment. Of course, various actions are taken at a national level, and also at more international, global level. The Japanese government is providing ODA, and Prime Minister Koizumi visited Africa and announced fliat Japan would expand its assistance this April. There are also many cases where a small movement started by a single person has spread very wide, like the Green Belt Movement, initiated by Wangari Maathai. I would actually like to go to Africa and, in my own way, turn drought-hit areas into green fields.

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I believe I can help to change the present situation in Africa, which, thanks to Agnes, I started looking to. My current study and thoughts may be small like a weed. But my dream is that together with African people we can turn the land of Africa into a large green land.

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Mr. Lingela: That is amazing. Thank you very much. I think we have had many presentations and essays. Next we are dealing with higher education people. This category might be quite a tough one. For this category, just a word of explanation: We have from Japan Ms. Yoko Kawamura, 21 years old from Soka University. We have from South Africa Ms. Jasmeer Ramlal, 27 years old from the University of Pretoria. From Zambia we have two candidates: Mr. Chibuye from Northern Technical College, he is 20, and Mr. Ladislas from the University of Zambia is 23 years old.

Unlike the first two categories, where we had two candidates for the junior high school and three candidates for senior high school, in the higher education category we have four candidates and they are all ready to present their essays. Because we have two candidates from the Zambian side, we will start with the Zambian essay, and we will start with the youngest man, 20 year-old Chibuye. The title of his essay is Science and Technology for Sustainable Development.

Mr. Ndashe Chibuye, Northern Technical College, Zambia

The world today is the way it is, one way or the other, as a result of Science and Technology. Research and new discoveries in the Scientific and Technological worlds, has helped in the betterment of mankind's existence. This is evident from everyday household appliances to the medical field and the present day industries.

Africa is a continent rich in natural resources and more than enough manpower to harness them. Unfortunately, Africa's development is crippled as a result of poverty. Being the continent most affected, there is need for effective ways of tackling the fight against poverty.

There are many ways in which Science and Technology can help in poverty reduction. In this essay, I shall dwell on four (4) of the many areas in which Africa has and can be helped, by cooperate partners like Japan in this fight. These are:

Agriculture Healthcare Tourism and

Education (technical training)

Agriculture. In the Northern and Central provinces of Zambia, like in many sub- Saharan countries, a type of shifting cultivation is practiced, which is locally known as the Chitemene System of Farming. This system basically involves the cutting of tree branches in a field to be used for crop production. The cut branches are collected and heaped around the same field. Once dry, the branches are burnt; the remaining ash providing fertile portions of the field. Such a field will be used for a few seasons (3-4). Once its fertility is exhausted, yields reduced critically and the field is abandoned and the tree trunks which had been left standing are allowed to re-grow. This field can be used again after 5-10 years.

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This is typical of many African farming practices. This has many undesired effects, both on the land and the environment. Science and Technology has helped in this area by:

• The manufacture of fertilizers (examples are Urea [top dressing] and D- compound [basal dressing]) which, when used, are effective yet environmentally friendly thus maintaining the soil fertility for a much longer period.

• The use of farming tools like holes been replaced by ploughs and tractors. These, among many others, have brought about cost efficient and effective ways of small scale farming.

• The use of hybrid seeds that have a high yield and are resistant to harsh weather conditions and crop diseases. A good example is NERICA rice, a hybrid of high yield Asian origin which JICA (Japan Internal Cooperation Agency) is making efforts to spread its use in East Africa.

• The use of modern irrigation systems thus reducing the dependence of rain and making farming practicable all year round.

What Science and Technology has done can be summed up in the Proverb, "If you give a man a fish, you feed him. If you teach him how to fish, you feed the nation." The agricultural sector has brought about job creation and self employment. The high yield can be used to feed farmers and the extra sold.

I The income earned can be used to at least acquire life's basic necessities. The effort to discover new

and better farming practices though Science and Technology is key in the fight against poverty.

Health Care. HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and AIDS (Acquired Immune_Deficiency Syndrome) has had its toll on Africa. It is estimated 25.4 million people are infected in Sub-Saharan Africa and 3.1 million got infected in the year 2004 alone. This has greatly affected the development of the continent. Diseases like Malaria and Polio which, some times take more lives than HIV/AIDS, have also been a problem from time immemorial.

Science and Technology has helped through the discovery of medicines like Antiretroviral (ARVs) which prolong the life span of HIV positive persons. Breakthroughs in science that have lead to the discovery of new and better ways of tackling today's health problems.

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Science and Technology has made diseases that were at one point considered as death sentences, be easily treatable. Loss of breadwinners due to disease and illness is not as it used to be and so poverty is fought as families do not have to struggle to have the basic necessities. Aid to Africa in the form of trained personnel, helping in discovering new, effective and better ways to combat sickness and disease, is making an impact in the fight against poverty. A good example of this aid is the late Japanese bacteriologist, Dr. Hideyo Noguchi. His contribution in the research of yellow fever has helped better the lives of the Ghanaian people and Africa at large.

Tourism. From the Pyramids of Egypt via Zambia's Victoria Falls to the sandy beaches and breath taking Drankensburg mountains of South Africa plus the abundance of wildlife, historical sites and physical features, Africa is a favourite destination for both local and international tourists.

Science and technology has helped in tourism through:

• The use of equipment like video cameras that are used in the production and making of videos thus advertising what Africa has to offer.

The use of equipment and chemicals that help in the repair and preserving of historical findings.

Research on behaviour patterns of wildlife, knowing how to best protect nearly extinct species.

Tourism has helped in poverty reduction by creating jobs for the local people. The money earned from this sector can be pumped into developmental programmes. This is an indirect way in which science and technology through tourism, is helping in poverty reduction.

Education (Training). In Zambia's Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) of 2002, education is highlighted by the Zambian government, as one key area in poverty reduction. The role of education in poverty eradication, in close co-operation with other social sectors, is crucial. The training and educating of young African students is an important way in which we can fight poverty. The skills learnt can be applied in areas of Engineering, Agriculture and Medicine. Later on, these skilled persons through Science and Technology will be able to discover new ways in which to better the lives of their fellow country men and women. This will soldier on the fight against poverty and facilitate development.

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Conclusion. Africa on its own is limited in how much it can do in the fight against poverty. Science and Technology is a vital tool in this fight. Improvements, discoveries and research in the Agricultural and Health Sectors, among many others, have and can further reduce the effects of poverty. Cooperate partners like Japan through organizations like JICA, are helping in this fight in many ways.

Key areas for future cooperate between Africa and Japan. The training of students in Engineering, Agriculture and developmental studies and the offering of scholarships and exchange programmes so as to allow people to learn and later apply what they have learnt abroad. The sending to Africa of trained personnel like Lecturers, Instructors, Teachers and Medical personnel to train, teach, help and work with the locals. Technical and Financial assistance in rural development programmes especially in the water, medical and agricultural sectors. We can therefore say that, in the quest for poverty reduction, science and technology happens to be the backbone of the quest. The dream of having a poverty free Africa is slowly but surely becoming a reality.

Mr. Lingela: Thank you very much, to Mr. Chibuye. Now we will ask Ms. Yoko Kawamura, 21 years old from Soka University, to present her essay. The title of her essays is Building the Foundation for International Exchange between Japan and Africa through Technology: Possibility of Potato Agro-Industry.

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Ms. Yoko Kawamura, Soka University, Japan

The 21st century started with expectations raised from people that it would turn out to be a century of peace. However, the reality is that while some countries are well off, in other countries people are facing a high mortality rate, with one person dying per three seconds due to poverty.

Sub-Saharan Africa (hereinafter abbreviated to Africa) is among such regions with indications of extreme poverty. As documented in the aDA White Paper 2004, one of the Millennium Development Goals - to cut poverty in half across the globe by the year 2005 - has been already achieved or expected to be achieved in East Asia and South Asia. In Africa, however, the poor is far from being reduced to a half, but rather the situation is worsening.

The cause of poverty in Africa lies in a vicious cycle of poverty. For example, the vicious cycle emanating from low productivity leads to low income, undernutrition, aggravation of unemployment, and so on, and such vicious cycle will be further aggravated in a complicated manner by negative interactions.

Under such circumstances, with a focus on overcoming the low productivity and low income in African as a critical step toward departure from the vicious cycle, the author wishes to propose a new industrial style, "potato agro-industry", to the Japanese Government, African farmers, private companies, and international organizations. This potato agro-industry will be formed under the collaboration between sweet potatoes, an agricultural product optimum for the African climate and familiar to African farmers, and technologies of Japan.

To that end, this paper discusses the potato agroindustry from the perspective of poverty reduction approach and the feasibility of the potato agroindustry.

Poverty reduction approach. The potato agroindustry that the author proposes to the international society and others is a new industrial style where various industrial products will be produced from sweet potatoes, and both farmers and companies will gain profits from the production.

First of all, the target for the poverty reduction approach will be farmers. The reason is that the agriculture in Africa represents an employment rate at 63.8% and the poverty rate among those employed stands at 70%. In other words, the approach is targeted at the poor, and namely farmers, since many people in Africa are engaged in agriculture and they are poor at the same time.

In the next place, let us look at the process of the potato agro-industry from the perspective of farmers. First of all, companies will entrust farmers with production of sweet potatoes. Farmers will consume the sweet potatoes that they produce as food. Sweet potatoes are a near complete food containing almost all the nutrients needed for a human being. They especially contain vitamin A in abundance. At present, 500 thousand children in Africa are losing their eyesight or dying from extreme deficiency in vitamin

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A every year. Proliferation of sweet potatoes rich in vitamin A will contribute to the improvement of nutritional status of children in Africa. In addition, this system will also enable farmers to generate funds by selling foliage of sweet potatoes to companies. This would be a path braking system as most foliage of crops has been traditionally abandoned as waste.

Next, let us look at the process of the potato agro-industry from the perspective of companies. Companies will purchase foliage of sweet potatoes from African farmers and sell biodegradable plastic produced with the foliage as a raw material. The biodegradable plastic is a plastic formed from polylactic acid extracted from fruits or foliage of sweet potatoes. It will be decomposed into carbon dioxide and water when burned without emitting such hazardous substances as dioxins. Thus, it is also harmless to the environment. Given that the plastic will be produced in an environmentally-friendly manner from foliage of sweet potatoes purchased by companies from farmers, the companies can enhance their corporate value through the social contribution of poverty reduction and environmental protection.

In light of the above merits, the author conducted a survey of the business of one of companies focusing

on and introducing biodegradable plastics into the market, Toyota Motor Corporation. Toyota released a futuristic environmentally-friendly car with biodegradable plastics used as a component in fiscal 2005 and announced that it will replace approximately 30% of its car parts with biodegradable plastics by - 2013. Although most of the biodegradable plastics are presently made from sugarcanes, it was found in

a recent study that a component capable of overcoming the defect of the conventional biodegradable plastics in the area of heat resistance and strength can be extracted from foliage of sweet potatoes.

In the process of the survey, with a question about the future potential of sweet potatoes in mind, the author made an inquiry to Toyota on the phone with his associates from his seminar and had an informal talk with personnel of Toyota at the Tokyo Motor Show. Through such inquiries the author learned that it is highly possible that the raw material of polylactic acid will be shifted from sugarcanes to sweet potatoes from the perspective of heat resistance and strength. In addition, the author made an inquiry in writing to Mr. Kaneko, research associate at Osaka University, who invented the biodegradable plastic made from foliage of sweet potatoes, and received a reply that judging from research requests he had already received from dozens of companies, the biodegradable plastic is expected to become the most effective plastic in future.

With the market for biodegradable plastics forecasted to grow 40 times as large as it was in 1998 by 2010, it is sufficiently possible for the potato agro-industry to become one of poverty reduction approaches in future through the exchange between the production of sweet potatoes in Africa and technologies in Japan.

Lastly, the feasibility of the potato agro-industry will be discussed. Agriculture in Africa faces three challenges: "soil degradation," "low land productivity," and "climate changes."

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The first challenge is soil degradation. In Africa, only 6% of land is arable. Moreover, Africa suffers from barren land resulting from drought represented by serious water shortage in Rwanda. However, potatoes are still tough in such adverse environment of Africa and are produced in large quantities in such countries as Rwanda.

The second challenge is low land productivity. The land productivity of crops in Africa, which remains extremely low in contrast to the increasing trend in other regions, is perceived as a problem. However, with the land productivity of potatoes in Africa being approximately seven times as high as that of other crops, there is a reasonable expectation for high harvest of sweet potatoes in Africa.

The third challenge is climate changes. At present, production of crops in Africa is significantly influenced by climate changes associated with rainfall and drought due to lack of technology. However, production of root crops is less influenced by climate changes.

Thus, given the high productivity of potatoes and their capability of overcoming various constraining factors, the agro-industry of sweet potatoes is feasible in Africa. Another favorable factor for the feasibility of the potato agro-industry is the presence of an organization called the International Potato Center in Peru. The organization aims to solve the problems of poverty through production of potatoes especially focusing on increase in harvest, resistance to pests etc., and provides even support for industrialization.

Conclusion. Africa faces the vicious cycle of poverty. To resolve such problem, the author focused attention on overcoming the low productivity and low income as the first step toward departure from the vicious cycle of poverty, especially targeting farmers who have been suffering vicious cycle of poverty for a long time. The author wishes to propose to the international society the new industrial style, potato agro-industry, which can provide an excellent solution for overcoming the problem.

Mr. Lingela: Thank you very much, Ms. Kawamura. We now have our speaker from South Africa, Mr. Jasmeer Ramlal. He is 27, from the University of Pretoria. The topic of his essay is Bringing Light to Africa: True Partnership between Japan and South Africa to Develop Solar Energy Technology. Thank you.

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Mr. Jasmeer Jaichand Ramlal, University of Pretoria, South Africa

Mankind is dependent on his surroundings for his existence and survival. The resources that he has inherited have allowed him over the generations to enhance his standard of lifestyle. Through science and engineering, mankind has been able to develop technologies that harness the energies of the earth. These energies come in various forms and like all natural entities have a limited lifespan.

We have reached a stage were future evolution is dependent on energy and how mankind continues to harness it. Our dependence on energy is so apparent that those who have it in abundance, or who are able to harness it effectively, are able to dictate to those who cannot. As a result an entity that belongs to all is being used as a basis to exercise power. This has created a disparity in the quality of life between the inhabitants of the earth. It is therefore the expectation of any future endeavors in the energy sector to address this imbalance.

Renewable energy. Based on questions raised on the sustainability of fossil fuels as a future energy source, renewable forms of energy have emerged as a viable alternative. Although widely acknowledged that these forms of energy will not replace fossil fuels as the primary energy source in the near future, they however have an important role to play in the supplementation of the global energy requirement. The various types of renewable energy sources are: wind turbines; wave technology; solar energy; hydrogen fuel cells; geothermal energy and biomass plants. These forms of renewable energy in total today account for 14% of energy consumed world wide.

Solar energy - the energy of the future. It has been calculated that the earth receives more energy from the sun in an hour than the total human population utilizes in a year. Hence the question as to whether the energy from the sun could be harnessed for human utilization is indeed a valid one. The answer to this lies in mankind's innovative ability in developing technologies to achieve this. In recent years, significant effort has been put into understanding how energy from the sun could be captured and utilized in a manner that is already familiar to mankind.

Ensuing from this increased focus, solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation technology has become one of the most promising renewable energy technologies for the 21st century. This is because of its potential to solve both environmental problems and concerns of limited sources of energy. Solar energy is free, produces no emissions and noise, is relatively easy to install and requires minimum maintenance. Greenpeace predicts that with the right government and private investment, solar energy systems could by the year 2020 be generating electricity needs of 10% of the expanded European Union. This energy supply is the equivalent of the output of 76-coal fired power stations. Further expectations are that by the same year, energy from the sun will provide for 20% of the entire planet's energy requirements.

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These expectations may seem rather optimistic, however as illustrated in the graph below (data taken from article PV Review-World Solar "PV Market Continues Explosive Growth," September/October 2005), the market is growing exponentially as new technologies are being developed. In 2004, world photovoltaic cell and module production increased by 57% (to 1195MW). Japan led the way with Japanese photovoltaic cell module and production increasing by 65% (to 602MW), European production increased by 49% (to 314MW) whilst in the US production increased by 35% (to 139MW). In the rest of the world, production increased 67% (to 140MW).

World PV production

1400


/
/
/
/ /
---- V ..JV/
---- -- ~~_="1 k----"""
==7~ ~---
c.=!
,. _us ~Japan ~Europe __ ROW

-Total

1200 1000

800

600

400

200

o 1994

1996

1998

2000 year

2002

2004

2006

Japan, the world leader in photovoltaic technology and solar energy. As is apparent from the plot presented, with 50% of the total world photovoltaic cell and module production in 2004, Japan is without a doubt the leader in technology required to harness solar energy. The solar energy market in Japan is estimated to be worth $7 billion. It is showing such great promise and growing at such a pace that Sanyo, the Japanese electronics giant has likened it to the revolution in the telecommunications market over the past decade.

From the evaluation of the solar energy market in 2004, Japanese companies Sharp and Kyocera occupied first and second place respectively on the list of top ten photovoltaic cell producers. Other Japanese companies Sanyo and Mitsubishi also made the list of top ten producers. The dominant growth showed by these companies has resulted in the Japanese governments goal for photovoltaic production capacity of 500MW by the year 2005, being accomplished a year early l.e, 2004.

It is estimated that over 260MW of grid power was installed in 2004. Over 200,000 residential solar energy systems were installed from 1994 to 2004 with a total capacity of 800MW. During this time period, prices have dropped for installed residential grid-connected systems. Prices in 1995 were nearly $11.00 per watt and installed prices in 2004 were less than $6.00 per watt.

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Japan's Sunshine Project. Japans present dominance in solar energy technology is due to well defined and constructed research and development programs that extend back to the early 1970's. Driven by the need to grow the economy in this time period, Japan was heavily dependent on imported energy, mainly oil. However with the oil crisis of 1973, energy consumption slowed and so did economic growth.

As a result, Japan was prompted into investigating alternate forms of energy, which would eventually remove the dependence of economic growth on imported energy. To fulfill this requirement, the Japanese government initiated a national R&D program in 1974, named the Sunshine Project, to promote the introduction of "new energy" - including solar energy (both thermal and photovoltaic), geothermal energy and the utilization of hydrogen as an energy carrier. In addition, thereafter the importance of the global environment became more pronounced. A major revision was done to unify these energy related programs and a new phase of national R&D was installed as the New Sunshine Project in 1993. This new program placed prime emphasis on the co-operative resolution of sustainable growth, the global environment and energy supply. PV was expected as one of the key technologies to achieve the ambitious goal of the New Sunshine Project.

The New Sunshine Program aims at promoting a comprehensive, long-term R&D program that extends to 2010. The R&D policies are designed to encourage the development of technologies that facilitate mass production at a cost low enough to spur further demand, which improves the scale of economy for production and a sustainable PV market in consequence.

--

Residential solar energy systems. With respect to the dissemination and promotion of PV systems, the

.-

Residential PV System Monitoring Program was established in 1994. In this program, half of the

installation costs were subsidized by the government with the aim of supporting the installation of PV

systems on houses. PV systems were installed on 17,500 houses between 1994 and 1998. By 2004, 200,000 solar energy systems were installed on residential houses across Japan.

Such has been the success of this campaign that the -housing industry in Japan has begun to promote the PV integrated residential house in earnest. The market for residential PV systems is expected to be self-sustainable in the near future were the reduction in installation costs is foreseen.

Looking ahead. In 1998 Japan announced a new target for solar energy in its "Policy Target for Alternate Energy." Therein it declared that the solar photovoltaic contribution is expected to be 5,000MW by 2010 or the equivalent to 1.22 trillion liters of oil per year. If the rate of growth observed in 2004 is sustained, then this target will also be achieved a year early.

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-.. I

In addition Japan is also investigating the ambitious possibility of space solar power systems, where solar systems are sent into orbit around the earth and energy is sent back to earth via microwaves. A National Space Development Agency (NASDA) has been assembled to study the possibility of space solar power systems. A pioneering project, SPS2000, was commemorated, which is planning the world's first space solar power satellite pilot study. If SP2000 is successful, Japan would become a significant energy exporter, in contrast to being an energy importer.

Another area of interested is that of solar desalination. A practical application of using a triple effect evacuated solar still system for getting fresh water from sea water was demonstrated in 1998. Future work involves scaling up this technology to deliver larger volumes of fresh water per day. This application would be of particular interest to countries that experience regular droughts, are surrounded by large areas of sea and receive abundant solar energy e.g. South Africa.

How can solar energy contribute to South Africa? Since 1994, the South African government is faced with the socio-economic development of the country. Although South Africa exhibits first world characteristics in many sectors, it still is very much a third world country. The economy is still developing and a large proportion of the population is part of underdeveloped rural and informal communities. Industrialization remains the primary force for boosting a countries economy and the South African economy is no different. With coal being the most abundant natural resource, it is by far the greatest contributor to the South African economy. It comes therefore as no surprise that carbon dioxide released per unit GDP is of the highest in the world and there is international pressure on South Africa to reduce this.

There is a requirement therefore for cost effective and affordable energy sources, which reduce impact on the environment and ensure social equitability and sustainability. It is for this reason that solar energy holds great promise for South Africa.

Solar energy, the answer to power for the rural community and informal settlements

One third of the South African population is estimated to be resident in remote rural communities. Rapid urbanization has led to the establishment of large informal settlements on the fringes of many urban areas. Like the many rural communities, these settlements lack basic infrastructure and they are seldom connected to the national electricity grid. The residents in rural areas and informal settlements, estimated to be 60% of the total population, rely on coal and wood to meet their daily energy needs.

The burning of coal and wood for household energy, not only results in high levels of air pollution and smog, it also contributes to deforestation. In addition burning frequently occurs in enclosed spaces without adequate ventilation. This results in harmful levels of pollutants within the confined spaces, thus increasing the risk of respiratory health problems, other ailments and the possibility of household fires.

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By design, solar energy is ideally suited to rural, underdeveloped areas that do not have electricity. The adoption of solar energy for the dispersed rural population and informal settlements in South Africa will bring electricity to at least 60% of the population. Japan has through its Residential PV System Monitoring Program illustrated how PV can be deployed on a national scale to household residents. Although South Africa's households are different to that of Japan, South Africa can learn from Japan in terms of work processes. If South Africa is successful in taking power to its rural and informal settlement community, then extension into the rest of Africa is a natural process, were it is estimated that 70% of the total African population is resident in rural areas.

The reduction of South Africa's level of carbon dioxide emissions. In 2002, coal made up 74% of the primary energy consumed in the country. While South Africa accounted for 35.6% of the total energy consumed in all of Africa, the country was responsible for only 1.1 % of total primary world energy consumption. However South Africa emitted 306.3 trillion tons of carbon dioxide from coal consumption. This accounts for 90.6% of Africa's energy related carbon emissions and 3.4% of world energy related emissions. Reliance on coal-based energy sources explains South Africa's proportionally larger carbon dioxide emissions in comparison to other industrializing nations.

In agreeing to the Kyto Protocol in July 2002, South Africa has agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions - mainly carbon dioxide. In October 2004, the country embarked on a national strategy to guide the country's response to climate change. The policy launched by the deputy minister of environmental affairs and tourism, proposed a number of priority actions relating to pollution and waste management, energy, agriculture and water. According to the plans, attention needed to be focused on research projects that will assist with the mitigation of, and adoption to, climate change. The strategy

identifies the development of renewable energy sources as a priority. '

Historically incentives for investment in both energy efficient technologies and renewable energy in South Africa have been minimal. There has been little incentive for government funding or private support for renewable energy sources, partially due to the country's inexpensive and abundant coal reserves. However in May 2004 due to growing concerns over South Africa's carbon dioxide emissions, the Minerals and Energy Department drafted its first energy efficiency and renewable strategy. The ([jfaft was expected to help the fledgling renewable industry - mainly biomass, wind power, solar power and small scale hydro projects - by identifying sources of financing and required technologies for new entrants into the electricity-generation sector. At the same time plans for a national renewable energy monitoring system were announced. The government is targeting that 4% of the countries electricity will be from renewable sources by 2013 (currently less than 0.5%).

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Since 2001, South Africa has considered using renewable energy for its "rural electrification" project. Due to the dispersed nature of villages and South Africa's significant solar resources, modular, renewable energy technologies, as discussed previously, have long been considered an economically and environmentally efficient means of providing electricity to the rural population, while helping the country diversify away from fossil fuels. However, a 2003 joint venture between Eskom, the parastatal power supplier, and Shell International Renewable fell short in proving solar power to be an economically viable rural power source when their test project exceeded project costs and failed to gain public acceptance.

Despite setbacks with solar technologies, research is still actively conducted in South Africa. A significant scientific breakthrough was made earlier this year, when a team of South African scientists developed a revolutionary new highly efficient solar power technology. The South African-developed solar panels will make it possible for houses to become completely self-sufficient in terms of energy supply. A team of scientists led by University of Johannesburg scientist Professor Vivian Alberts achieved the breakthrough after 10 years of research. The South African technology has now been patented across the world. The new, highly efficient and cheap alloy solar panel is much more efficient than the costly old silicone solar panels. Apart from this success, a new 100-MW solar thermal power plant is planned for Upington, in the Northern Cape for 2007.

Proposed technology alliance between South Africa and Japan. The recent breakthrough made by South Africa in developing cheaper, more efficient solar cells, is a major advancement for the solar energy technology industry. Historically as shown by the work done by Eskom and Shell, the major hurdle in using solar energy was economic feasibility. However, as can be expected with better technologies being uncovered and more research being conducted in this field, the costs will decrease and efficiencies increase. South Africa has shown that it is now a major world player in developing solar energy technology.

In Japan there exists a possibility of having a partner who is arguably the world leader in solar energy and has vast experience and expertise in this field. Research in Japan, in recent times, has also focused on reducing costs and improving efficiencies. Were Japan can benefit from the research conducted in South Africa, South Africa can benefit from the processes already existing in Japan to develop the technology for human benefit. Japan has also developed many applications for solar energy, where the newly developed solar cells could be used. Herein exists significant benefit to both nations.

Conclusion. In transforming itself from energy hunting to an energy cultivating civilization, Japan holds much promise for the rest of the world. South Africa is faced with many challenges related to energy and the socio-economic development of its society since its emergence from the days of apartheid. In addition to itself, South Africa has an obligation to the rest of Africa. Renewable energy is without a doubt the future of energy utilization.

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Two weeks ago in the midst of surging oil prices, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the UN Commission on Sustainable Development: "We need a revolution in energy efficiency. We need mature, renewable, such as wind, hyrdro and solar energy." No single nation can answer this call alone. It requires the sharing of

technology and knowledge to bring to the inhabitants of -=--

the world a new era of energy, which is sustainable, does not create segregation, and is non-harmful to the environment.

References

1. Butler RA (2005). Poor need renewable energy sources says Annan. http://news.mongabay.com/2005/0823-un.html.

2. Focus on Future energy resources (2005).Novel invention could mean cheaper source of energy from solar power. Science in Africa Nov (2004) issue on the website.

3. Haider Rizvi (2006). With Gas Prices Flying High, Annan Calls for Energy Revolution. http://news.yahoo.com/s/oneworld/200605 1 2/wLoneworld/45361 327351147446994.

4. Jones JS (2004). Climate change strategy launched by South Africa. http://www.scidev.netiNews/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid= 1 671 &Ianguage= 1 .

5. Matsuoka Hideo (1999). Global environmental issues and space solar power generation:

Promoting the SPS 2000 project in Japan. Technology In Society 21: p. 1 - 17.

6. Maycock PD (2005). PV Review, World Solar PV Market Continues Explosive Growth. Refocus 2005 Vo1.6: p 18-22.

7. Mori M, Nagayama H, Saito Y, Matsumoto (2002). Summary of studies on space solar power

[

systems of the National Space Development Agency of Japan. Acta Astronautica 54:

p.337-345.

8. Nishikawa H, Tsuchiya T, Narasaki Y, Kamiya I, Sato H (1 998). Triple Effect evacuated solar still system for getting fresh water from seawater. Applied Thermal Engineering

18: p. 1067-1075.

9. Noguchi Tetsuo (1971). Recent Developments in Solar Energy Research and Application in Japan. Solar Energy, Vol 15: p.179-187.

10. Noguchi T (1994). The status of solar energy systems in Japan. Renewable Energy, Vo15, Part II, p: 1 342-1 349.

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11. Ogunlade Davidson (2002). Energizing Africa. Science in Africa. www.scienceinafrica.co.za/2002/november/energy.htm.

12. Parikh J K (1979). Renewable Energy Options: What could developing countries expect from them? Energy, VolA: p 1 989-1 994.

13. South Africa: Energy and Environmental Issues (November 2004). http://www.eia.doe.gov/cabs/safrenv.html.

14. The day the earth stood still (2006). Energy in Africa Magazine Nov 2005-Jan 2006.

15. Terblanche P, Nel R, Golding T (1994). Household energy sources in Africa.

An overview of the impact of air pollution on human health. CSIR Environmental Services.

16. Ushiyama Izumi. Renewable Energy Strategy in Japan,; Renewable Energy 16 (1999) p: 1174-1179.

17. van der Plas R (1994). Solar Energy answer to rural power in Africa. http://rru.worldbank.org/PublicPolicyJournaIiSummary.aspx?id=6.

18. van Vuuren DCS (2005). The Hydrogen Economy and South African initiatives.

Chemical Technology, September 2005: p15-17.

19. Willem Steenkamp (2006). SA solar research eclipses rest of the world. http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?seLid= 1 &dick_id= 143&arLid=vn2006021111 0132138C184427.

20. Yamaguchi Masafumi (2000). Present status and prospects of photovoltaic technologies in Japan. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 5: p 113-135.

Mr. Lingela: Thank you very much, Jasmeer. Next speaker, also from Zambia, is Mr. Hibusu Ladislas. He is from the University of Zambia. The topic of his essay is Making Science and Technology a Foundation for Partnership between Africa and Japan. Thank you.

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I r -

Mr. Hibusu Ladislas, University of Zambia, Zambia

With regards to the theme of the essay: "making science and technology a foundation for partnership between Africa and Japan" questions arise as to how science and technology could build a bridge between African nations and Japan, Japan being the second largest economy In the world; other question like why should this partnership be in the field of science and technology and not any other field? Are there any benefits to this? Who benefits? What could be any new areas of cooperation within the science faculty?

This essay therefore aims at giving tentative and objective answers to these questions and will try also to initiate what role the scientific and technological sector bears in sustainable development. According to the Longman Dictionary of English Language science is defined as branch of systematic knowledge while technology is defined as the theory and practice of applied science; the totality of the means and knowledge used to provide objectives necessary for human sustenance and comfort. Partnership on the other hand is defined as an association involving close cooperation.

Background. History shows that technology has a powerful tool for human development and poverty reduction. The dawn of the 21st century marked overall progress and revolutionary achievements in technological advancements. Approximately a third of humanity is deprived of basic technologies. The poor and vulnerable are also the principal victims of the impact of climate change on the environment and incidence of natural disasters. Zambia's leaders realised that the prosperity of Japan and the United States of America, for example, rested on a considerable extent to a 'high skill of their Scientists, Engineers and Tehcnicians, on the acumen of the policy makers who directed them as well as on the general - ability of these countries to manipulate sophisticated technologies in (Education and development in developing countries: Kalubula PhD).

Japan has made massive and carefully planned investment in science andtechnoloqy education. While it is impossible to impose one country's experience on another, Japan's successlul early modernisation and later the rapid reconstruction following World War Two clearly contains important lessons for any country, like Zambia, facing the complex challenges of education and development.

Relationship between Science, Technology and Development. The Science and Technology sector is very strategic sector in as far as the development of a nation is concerned. To reclaim science and technology for the public food and harness technology for poverty reduction, we need to put people first in our approach to technology development, traditional knowledge from private expropriation, redirect our research efforts towards the poor and empower civil society to critically assess the impact of new technology choice. There is ample evidence to show the importance of science and technology in the social and economic development of nationals and communities. Problems such as diseases, inadequate shelter and infrastructure,

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I insufficient agriculture productivity, challenges in diversifying the economy, malnutrition, sustainable utilisation and management of natural resources would all require scientific and technological know how to find a sustainable solutions. Most observable achievements of science and technology are in the areas of medicine, information, energy and food. For incidence focus on areas like sustainable and more efficient energy use: agriculture sustainability, productivity and biodiversity conservation would present great opportunities for progress.

The shift away from, the current and sustainable energy system to the new fundamental scientific research renewable energies such as photovoltaic, off-show wind energy next generation wind turbines, wave/tidal and geothermal, biomass would lead to important energy efficiency. It is a known fact that energy is a call to the development of the National. In Zambia, at a time when there was fuel shortage, industries could not operate; the transport sector to deliver both raw and finished goods could not operate. This had greatly affected the economy; hence the shift from non renewable sources like oil to renewable ones would be a step in the right direction. Currently, this hot issue is at the top of the agenda in the EU, at the G8 meetings, in the USA and in the \United Commission for Sustainable Development.

The economic aspect of sustainable development is to a larger extent depended on advances in science and technology. In most African Countries including Zambia, the economic engine is agriculture. The relevance and effectiveness of different agricultural technologies as compared to traditional systems to enable farmers to produce bumper harvests using new methods of scientific nature. Japan has made remarkable advances in food production accompanied a dramatic reduction of poverty. This has been due to the result of trade and investment reform, which have generated economic growth. Over 75% of the population depend directly or indirectly on agriculture for their livelihood. The technologies have made tremendous impact to improve the livelihoods of the people. The agricultural production systems are also changing rapidly, the trend being intensive agriculture using high-tech that provides maximum potential benefit to improved crop germplasm. Furthermore a paradigm shift is taking place in agriculture towards the development of value added secondary products to be competitive in international markets.

Science and Technology a Foundation for Partnership. However, perhaps there are no other fields in which collaboration has a greater impact and potential for substantial payoff as in the endeavours related to science and technology. Collaboration in Scientific and Technological activities among countries is very important. Developing countries whose economies are in transition need to build and strengthen their capacity to assimilate and generate knowledge for sustainable development. It is evident that cooperation in any field complements and multiplies individual efforts. The partnership scheme would exist in such areas as the sharing of research findings, development and development of emerging technologies, resource sharing, costs to meet intended goals and many others. The cost aspect of scientific research requires the sharing of critical masses of monies and resources hence recognition of scientific networks in fostering research cooperation.

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Cost is the factor in the area of science such as energy physics or the study of human genoma which demands a lot of money to undertake a thorough study hence a need to put resources together. This includes availability of joint manpower with complementary qualifications. The result of such a partnership is the complement of each party's expertise which could result in completion of scientific researches and shortening the load time for innovations (www.askjevee.com).

Cooperative efforts in scientific research on topics such as transformational technologies would offer potential to improve public health by cutting pollution and reduce greenhouse emissions to address the challenges of global climate change (making Energy Sustainable bulletin). The current lack of knowledge concerning important environmental issues and ecosystems, the slow transfer of technology and the high costs of development of sustainable technologies are working against innovative sustainable development solutions. The problem is particularly acute in Africa, given the low levels of education. Expanded international cooperation and strengthened global knowledge networks are required to address these problems of scientific nature (all Africa.com).

Partnership could also be utilised in sharing research and human resources. For instance enhancing

I

exchange programmes in higher institutions of learning in order to equip young and innovative scientists,

to boost their participation in scientific activities. To this calls, it saddens to find a graduate with an engineering degree from African Universities, for example only trained to clean and replace the existing part of equipments, rather than to design new equipment with its various components. This is actually the root course of underdevelopment because of lack of innovation. If the scientific community in Afri£;an - Countries could partner and collaborate with countries like Japan who's scientific and technological advances are immeasurable, the issues of lacking companies in the manufacturing sectors could somehow be addressed. This would result in the creation of employment for many UN employed people.

To achieve this potential, there is a great need to have improved access to appropriate technologies,

I information and knowledge about technology options.

For instance, Japan has very limited raw rnatsrtals yet it commands the second largest economy in the World,1 it is big role player in the global income. It is a Country in the world which has a voice of experience in so many international matters. It has actively participated in the G8 Summit, the United Nations and other International framework for a long time and has shouldered a greater share of responsibility on the affairs of international community. It's high-tech has enhanced massive developments resulting in poverty reduction (Japan-china relationship bulletin).

To enhance global cooperation particularly in Africa, Japan has launched a number of programmes covering many issues. In Zambia, Japan launched a programme called JICA which has addressed quite a number of issues more especially in rural areas where poverty levels are high. It has dealt with issues of health particularly sponsoring the provision of clean water, it has sunk boreholes, has facilitated the good road networks hence creating employment to rural people. Road network renovations have been under the Japanese companies like Shimz.

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Japan has reached such an advanced level in science and technology. The People of Japan are working on project called in "The Real-time Operating System Nucleus" or TRON project. The aim of the TRON project is to build an ideal Architecture that really will be ergonomically friendly. One of the expected results of the project is that in the near future all the devices that surround us in our every day lives will have computers, sensors and actuates embedded within them. This is said will enhance the use of radio frequency identification (Rfid tags which are chips of mealimentric proportions with belt in computer functions. Since many consumers are concerned about safety of the food they buy attaching RFID to product swill make it possible to tress food product through the whole process of production and transportation. Coming on the scenes also is a Nippon telegraph and Telephone cooperation's RedTacton system which safely turns the human body into a data transmission path (Asia. pacific perspective/Japan+ ).

The Ministry Environment in Japan amounts its "Cool Biz" initiative to promote a more flexible business code which began on June 1. Fashion designer Hiroko Kashno has designed clothing that allows people to feel cooler, but at the same time work more efficiently and look good in the process. Most workers in Japan wear a suite and tie in summer regardless on how hot and humid it might be the Cool Biz look does away with both suit and tie and is said to result in two- degree reduction in the body temperature. This latest attempt is at creating a new fashion style involves innovations in material and design (Asia. Pacific Perspectives [Japan+: the UN and Japan). The above technologies show how beneficial partnership with Japan could bring about sustainable development in Africa.

Technology and Copper. Many have asked why African Countries have not developed despite abundant natural resources the boast of. Countries in the SADC region have abundant mineral deposits but have dwindled so much in supplying these minerals. One would ask why Zambia has not become a manufacturing power house of the world in copper and copper alloy products. Looking at our current position and then map up the technological advances Zambia has made in manufacturing the future for our nation seem bleak unless we borrow these scientific and technological advancements that are taking place in other countries like Japan. The world copper productivity figures show Zambia to have lost its global position as one of the top major producers. Chile which was below Zambia is now at the top based on the Mineral Commodity Summary Report. Since over 80 percent of our foreign income is based on selling copper, this means our income has also dropped.

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History has shown those self sustaining nations to base their wealth generation on manufacturing products, trading on open market and the least of them all, counted as wasted resources, is selling of raw materials. Zambia can capitalize on the exodus from the industrialised world by attracting copper manufacturing businesses including those of copper alloy value added copper components and assemblies, therefore resulting in high receipts. The price for a tonne of copper bar is K18 million. If we produced products with added value we will earn K17 billion from that same tonne. We know that copper is a critical component of modern industry. The breakdown of copper in the world by industry is: building construction (29 percent), transportation (21 percent), electric and electronic (26 percent), telecommunication (7 percent), factory equipment (6 percent) and other (11 percent). Zambia already carters for the building construction market although the products are limited (post newspaper, April 16, 2006).

Reading through the Export Board of Zambia list of companies Zambia only has five firms producing engineering products that are worth exporting. Many if not all the products are towards the lower end of added value. Copper Alloy Mill, ZAMEFA, Nonferrous Metals, Sable Combine and Zambia Aluminium are good companies that need scientific and technological stances to help us move them from making just wire sheets, rods and bronze to companies that will help us move into the upper end of added value products. These companies can go a step further to searching the next step where their products end and start making products associated with that next step. The target market must be the electric and electronic which is the fastest growing with a 12.5 percent compound annual growth rate over the past five years. This sector could be considered as an area for future cooperation in science and technology between Africa and Japan.

Among the electric and electronic market, far the largest is the computer industry that is still growing by the day. For instance companies in the far - East who just make printed circuit boards have had their profits boosted by more than 80 percent a year. The biggest winner has been China who uses most of the Zambia copper after Japan. We need to become converters of our raw materials in a big scale. The highest earnings though are in high technology areas such as computer- chips, sophisticated integrated wafers, and modulated circuit boards for making specific works, making of complete magnetic drives rather than wire, and many more. These products will move Africa and Zambia in particular back to its top major producers, but this time in added value copper products (professor E.C Chirwa, Transport, Technology and Innovation: Ibid).

Role of Technology in Water and Sanitation

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There are many local technological solutions that can be used to solve say water and sanitation problems which is one of the indicators of development as per MDGs. However, opinion is divided as to whether high- tech has a major role to play. There are many local technological solutions like hand pumps, pit latrines, small bore sewerage system, traditional rainwater and many tested and tried technologies for low cost irrigation like pales, canals, drip irrigation kits, integrated land and water management and low cost technology such as three pitcher filter, pond sand filter for treatment of arsenic in ground water which are manageable by the local people and do not increase their vulnerability under unsustainable practices, can improve water supply for production, reduce water related hazards and protect the ecosystems and the environment on which the poor often rely for their livelihoods. It is well established that investment in water resources management and the delivery of water services are central to poverty reduction (www.sanit-tech.org).

Food and poverty: Technology for poverty alleviation. The role that modern science and technology plays in agriculture for poverty alleviation is massive. More than half of poor and food insecure people reside in rural areas, although poverty and food insecurity appears to be growing urban areas as urbanising proceeds apace in most of the developing countries. Therefore accelerated public investment are needed to facilitate agricultural and rural growth through; high yielding varieties, resistant biotic and abiotic stress and environment friendly production (Ibid).

The post newspaper of 30th March 2006 reviewed the manifestation of partnership in the agriculture sector. According to the paper, Japan has launched a program for least developed countries (LDCs) among them Zambia to produce, distribute and sell on to the Japanese market agricultural produce to provide assistance in the field of distribution for promoting competitive agricultural, forest and fish products and also assistance for product development, mechanising and market development. This will give them access to the Japanese market and sell high quality produce under Japanese assistance. Such a move would contribute to meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of reducing poverty by half as well as improving food security which in turn would fight malnutrition and under nourishment.

Under the same initiative LDCs would benefit from Japanese technologies in May ways as Zambia's ambassador to Japan Godfrey Simasiku stated. The ambassador asked the Japanese to provide cereal or crop preservation technology to the rural small subsistence and emerging farmers with environmentally friendly and non-toxic preservatives. Communities loose a good amount of produce to pests and weevils that attack maize in village's granaries. This improvement would be through implementing technical cooperation, organizing seminars and building up human resources based on Japanese experiences and knowledge in the international development field.

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Role of Technology in Infrastructure and Communication. Science and technology partnership will enhance a fuller understanding of resources in the fields involving electronics, civil engineering, automobile engineering, medicine to mention but a few. Factors critical for economic growth in African countries is functional infrastructures, a market with sufficient absorption capacity and human capital. These are critical ingredients in oiling the economic wheel and machinery to deliver desired results. Automotive companies in Japan for instance have got autonomy in their production and marketing (www.Japantch.com). Even the developing countries need their own models of vehicles in collaboration with international companies. Automobile engineering is a field of fast and novel inventions and innovations. This could be an engine of mass production in companies and industries hence act as a reservoir to engineering is a field of fast and novel inventions and innovations. This could be an engine of mass production in companies and industries hence act as a reservoir to development. The advent of digital communications have increased the speed of data transmission and created new avenues for delivering data to users such as the internet, cable, satellite television, wireless devices and many others. Generally, the automotive industry with products ranging from simple auto parts to complete vehicles and engines with sophisticated computer controls as well as production facilities using simple operations. It is an industry that has to create new methods with-new technologies to supply quality

,

product in a very competitive market. Yet in Africa, most of these fields are quite under utilized,

graduates only know how to fix spare parts but never to design. Partnership therefore with Japanese experts will be a viable and valuable step forward.

Role of Technology in Medicine. This is one field which would provide a linkage of partnership between - Japan and Africa for viable development. The development of any nation requires a population which is good health. Many advances in medicine range from research works to equipment design in hospitals. Although not much has been done in the field of medicine in Japan as compared to nuclear and atomic physics, a lot of knowledge and findings could be shared. For instance, the findings of Dr. Hideyo Noguchi, a Japanese bacteriologist on the cause and incidence of Yellow fever were shared world-wide. His findings built a firm foundation for the beginning of serous research on several diseases ravaging in many parts of the world. Dr. Noguchi attributed the cause of yellow fever to bacterium called spirochete. Many scholars and researchers in Europe and America refuted this claim. He later died in GHana where

he was conducting a research to free the people of I

-Africa fro m the scourge of that disease on Sunday, May 20th 1928 (www.hideyo.com).Soit is clearly seen that cost that are normally incurred in research are quite much and sometimes can not be managed by an individual country particularly the developing countries. Hence, a cooperative venture tends to solicit for the deficiencies. It is also clearly seen that although Dr. Noguchi research was organised and arranged in Japan, many countries around the globe benefited to Japanese initiative. A broad base was built for continuity.

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Conclusions. With regards to the aims and objectives of the Essay, conclusions that have been arrived at show us to how science and technology would bring about sustainable development, competitiveness and poverty reduction. This Essay has further suggested new areas for future cooperation on science and technology between Africa and Japan with specific emphasis on problems or opportunities and solutions. Indeed science and technology demands a lot of money, human and physical resources that one nation can not do on its own. Scientific and technological issues such as energy physics ozone lare control and mechanism would need joint efforts to achieve desired results. Therefore, science and technology is likely to build a foundation for partnership between Africa and the rest of the industrialized nations.

Mr. Lingela: Ladies and gentlemen, that brings us to the end of the presentations and essays. That brings us to a very exciting moment. This moment is facilitated by four people that I would like to introduce now. We have from the left side Mr. Tetsuo Hirasawa, the Senior General Manager, Corporate Communications Center of Canon. He is one of the judges deciding the future of this competition. We have the second judge: Mr. William Mumbi, the Director of Science and Technology in the Zambian Ministry of Science, Technology, and Vocational Training. Mr. Mumbi. We have a third judge: Dr. Bethuel Sehlapelo, the Deputy Director-General, South African Department of Science and Technology. We have a fourth judge, Ms. Natsuko Hashimoto, an Official of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I confirm that the decision is in good hands, taken care of by these four individuals.

I would like also to introduce the person who is helping coordinate this evaluation, Ms. Ina Roos, the Editor for Science Communication in the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA), which is also an Agency of the South African National Research Foundation. Just to give an indication of how this process is simple and transparent, the judges have been scoring points while the candidates were presenting their essays, and each time the presentation is done, they give their results to Ms. Ina Roos, and Ms. Ina Roos totals up the scores. The next phase is to give the judges an opportunity to congregate and to share ideas about their judgment. When we meet gain Ambassador Ngubane, Ambassador of South Africa will announce the results of the competition. Let us have a short break.

Mr. Lingela: Ladies and gentlemen, I am told that the decision is made. Ambassador Ngubane is ready to let us know the results. Without much time, I would like to ask Ambassador to let us know the results of this competition. Ambassador, please.

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HE Ambassador Dr. Ben Ngubane,

Ambassador of South Africa - Announcement of Prizes

Professor Kurokawa, Excellencies, Ambassadors, teachers, parents, judges, this has indeed been a history-making event, the first of its kind between Africa and Japan. I have been highly impressed with the quality, the ability, the eagerness to find more facts, to find new ways of collaboration between Africa and Japan. It is truly impressive. Right from the youngest student to the oldest, the quality of presentation has been superb. In a way, all of you focused on a common approach, an approach that can easily create platforms for the Tokyo International Conference on African Development known as TICAD. TICAD was established by the Japanese government in 1993. It was at the end of the Cold War. Africa was truly being marginalized because the only interest the superpowers had taken in Africa was to use African countries as proxies in the Cold War. With the end of the Cold War, the Japanese government realized that Africa was going to be even more marginalized, so they called a huge international conference, which came to be known as the Tokyo International Conference for Africa's Development. It happens every five years. African heads of state come to Tokyo. The next one will be in 2008, and that will be the fourth TICAD conference.

I am referring to this because I see this exercise of today as part and parcel of the thinking on new and novel ways of accelerating development and better quality of life for all people of Africa. Thank you very much to the young people, to their supporting people, their parents, their teachers. Thank you very much for what you have done to strengthen and deepen the involvement of the two continents, Asia and Africa, through Japan. You have done very well, all of you, and as far as I am concerned, you are all winners. Quite clearly, to reach this stage, it means that you beat many, many other people of your group, of your age, in your own countries to be here. Whatever is announced, just consider yourselves to be all

winners.

In the Junior High School Category, the winners were:

No.1 Zia Maharaj

• No.2 Nagisa Oda

r

We will give them a round of applause. In the Junior High School Category:

No.1 Akane Kimura

No.2 Jerida Maphoto No.3 Sikaundi Chapanga

In the Higher Education Category, there were four.

No.1 Yoko Kawamura No.2 Jasmeer Ramlal

• No.3 Ndashe Chibuye No.4 Ladislas Hibusu

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Congratulations to all of you, a job well done. We look forward to another phase of this competition in 2007. Good luck; enjoy your stay in Japan. You will find that Tokyo is a wonderful city, but the rest of the country is just like that-highly developed, very clean, well-organized, and the service is excellent. I hope you will take these lessons back home. For those from Japan going to South Africa, you will find beautiful scenery, a wonderful people. As Professor Kurokawa said, even in desperate poverty, those eyes glitter with life in the people. With the help of the partnership between Japan and Africa, we will help to give them a quality of life that they all deserve. Thank you.

Mr. Lingela: Thank you very much, Ambassador. This is the time to give all the winners the prizes, and I would like to ask Mr. Hirasawa of Canon to hand over the prizes. As we are announcing the names, you can come forward to receive the award.

Mr. Lingela: Just to congratulate the outstanding young people-Ambassador Otabe said "younger people." They presented excellent essays. I would like now to give an opportunity to Mr. Hirasawa, the Senior General Manager, Corporate Communications Center, Canon Inc., to say a few words.

Mr. Tetsuo Hirasawa, Senior General Manager, Corporate Communications Center, Canon Inc., Japan

Ambassadors, honorable guests and everyone, especially the prize winners, the younger people, good afternoon. It is my great honor to be here to participate in this very first African-Japanese Essay and Speech Competition. We, Canon, are very much interested in supporting the young people in social and cultural activities, and I am very much excited to be here today, and also I enjoyed everyone's talent and efforts. I am very happy to support this kind of contest, starting from this year. I do not know for how many years we can have this kind of contest, but at least today is the very beginning of this program. I would like to expect that this will be continued in the coming years. Thank you very much.

Mr. Lingela: We will just have the last word from Mr. Mumbi, the Director for Science and Technology in the Zambian Ministry of Science, Technology and Vocational Training and after his concluding remarks we can have many opportunities to take photos with the winners.

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Mr. William Mumbi,

Director: Science and Technology, Ministry of Science, Technology and Vocational Training, Zambia

The Director-General of the Sub-Saharan African Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Japan; Your Excellencies credited to Japan, the President of the Science Council of Japan, the organizing committees of this essay competition, distinguished guests, dear participants, ladies and gentlemen. May I begin by extending my sincere appreciation to the organizing committee of this competition for having invited me to make a few closing remarks. Please bear with me, ladies and gentlemen, as I briefly narrate to you the importance and relevance of what we are witnessing today to SADC (Southern African Development Community).

The competition brings together students, teachers, lecturers, and people of diverse cultures, professions, and backgrounds for one common goal: the promotion of science and technology cooperation between Africa and Japan in order to improve the quality of life for all. The competition enhances creativity, places emphasis on problem-solving, develops intellectual skills, and enriches the value of science and technology. In fact, it has timely embraced our .SADC objectives on science and technology. The ability of any society to acquire knowledge, skills, and technology that will make it build the capacity to meet its social and economic needs is vital for its development. Economic needs are realized through internal and external trade. Trade in the 21st century is dominated by knowledgeintensive technologies which come from the translation of results of scientific research and development work. Hence, science and technology are fundamental to sustainable social and economic development of any nation. This is the ultimate goal of this multilateral cooperation, which .must be nurtured and translated into further cooperation between our regions.

Mr. Chairman, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, let me conclude by thanking most sincerely the committee of SADC Ambassadors in Tokyo for coming up with the Southern African Science and Technology Community initiative, under whose auspices this competition is being held; the South African government for sponsoring the first program of this initiative which would facilitate the expansion of cooperation between Japan and SADC as well as the whole of Africa; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan for the provision of nominal sponsorship. May I also, with deep gratitude, acknowledge the contribution from the Science Council of Japan, Canon Inc. of Japan, Daily Yomiuri, and many others for various support they have rendered to the success of this program. Much more, please allow me to thank our dear participants for their very valuable contributions. To you all, I say, may the Almighty God bless you in all your future aspirations. I thank you all.

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Experiences in Japan on 15-22 July 2006

In the words of Ms. Zia Maharaj on the occasion of the Media Prize-Giving Event:

Africa-Japan Essay and Speech Competition (A-JESC) 2006 held on 24 July in the South African Department of Science and Technology

Honorable Minister Mangena, Director General Dr. Mjwara, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. I was very privileged to have been given an opportunity to visit Japan and I would like to share some of this wonderful experience with you.

Our first visit was to Hiroshima where the darkness of war and its devastation were explained to us. After being taken through the atom-bomb dome, the peace memorial museum and the memorial park my sadness was also accompanied by admiration for the way in which the Japanese have went about rebuilding their country and their lives. My humble prayers are that this scale of tragedy never repeats itself. Our guide Miss Naoko Koizumi, no relation to the honorable Prime Minister emphasized the need for education to ensure history never repeats itself.

Our next visit was to Kyoto the previous capital and we traveled via the Shinkanzen. I was impressed by the efficiency and organization and we used this mode of transport quite often over the few days. We had a wonderful tour of many temples and shrines. The amazing Golden Pavillion, the Kiyomizu and Sanjusangen-do, a national treasure provided insight to the Japanese culture. The 2 major religions in Japan are Shintoism and Buddhism.

Our following trip was to Nagoya and the global motoring giant Toyota. Visiting the Toyota factory and the Toyota commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology was an unbelievable experience. The Toyota partner robot could play the trumpet, had lips that created sounds and it even had artificial lungs. We were also shown a proto type called an I-unit, a car of the future with the most advanced technology.

The experience at the factory was one of amazement at the cutting edge technology and the efficiencies that make Toyota one of the leading motor manufacturers in the world. Our last stop was Tokyo where we spent the last few days of our trip. We visited the national museum of emerging science and innovation, Miraiken. We had a few hours but I could have spent an entire day there as this was quite an intriguing place where one could learn about such topics as DNA and Relativity.

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I r -

Our next stop was the Sibuya Kyoiku Gakuen High School. We experienced what it was to be a pupil in Japan and were guests to one of the most important traditions in Japan a, tea ceremony. Next stop on our

itinerary was a visit to the Japanese soccer museum where we were taken through the history and rise of Japanese soccer over the last decade. Finally it was time for the A-JESC prize ceremony which took place last Friday.

The trip to Japan was an unbelievable life time experience which I will cherish forever. Kyoto which is steeped in Japanese culture definitely stood out as the highlight of my visit as I have a keen interest in the Japanese culture. I have learnt and experienced some of what Japanese has to offer and made new friends from Africa and Japan whom I hope to stay in touch

with. I would definitely like to visit Japan again to rJ

proudly represent my beautiful country.

My thanks go out to all our Japanese hosts and guides for their wonderful hospitality. I would also like to thank Mr. Lingela and Mrs. Roos and all the organizers who made this possible and ensured that we had a safe and enjoyable trip. My final thank you is to my school headmaster Mr. Co-ok and Mr. Naidoo my

science teacher for ensuring that Beaulieu College is an institution that encourages independent thinking as well as an enjoyable learning experience.

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Experiences in South Africa and Zambia on 23-30 July 2006 Ms. Nagisa Oda's Diary

Johannesburg Airport. I felt so anxious when I couldn't find a driver at the arrival gate; I had been to the airport many times when I lived in South Africa and I had been told how dangerous it was. When I needed to exchange ten thousand yen bills for Rands at the exchange counter later on, I felt I was risking my life and paid careful attention to others. I felt really relieved after the successful exchange because my father had told me it was considered the most dangerous activity at the airport.

Farm Inn. I was so looking forward to staying over in Pretoria because it was my first time. On the way to the hotel, my heart was thumping as I saw many landscapes and shops in my memories in the roadside scenes. I felt relaxed at the hotel that was so open, unlike the other hotels. One thing that worried me, however, was the seemingly over-simple lock and the lack of a safe in the room.

Department of Science and Technology. I was so happy to see South African students again, whom I had made friends with when they came to Japan to make speeches as representatives of their country. In particular, I felt so close to Zia because we were about the same age. I was so pleased to know that she had enjoyed her stay in Japan when I heard her essay on her trip there. People in Department of Science and Technology welcomed us in such a friendly manner. I thanked them for letting us use the Internet and eagerly explaining to us about their country.

CSIR. We could observe advanced South African laser technology at the CSIR. I was so surprised to see a buffalo drawn with such fine technique, like a sculpture. I found out that the technology there was exploited for laser printers, which are currently in the news.

Botanical Garden. I felt so nostalgic in the botanical garden because I had been there once as an elementary school student. For Akane, with whom I traveled, it must also have been an interesting place. I never tired of seeing plants because there were so many kinds in the garden.

Union Buildings. We visited places usually inaccessible to the public in the buildings. I learned that the buildings had a long history, hosting the election of ex-president Mandela. I found them so beautiful and wanted to take many pictures, but the security officers forbade this, which was so disappointing. Even so, dinner was so delicious and I had a great time with the many people I met. I found it so interesting to talk with people I had met for the first time and learn many things from them.

54

iTemba Laboratories. People were studying very difficult things in the laboratories. There were many things I couldn't really understand. However, I thought I would need to study hard to arouse interest in such difficult research, when Akane replied "it was interesting" to my question on her impression of the laboratories. Another thing that surprised me was the presence of a Japanese person working for the laboratories. I had never expected to hear Japanese in Cape Town.

The Cape of Good Hope. It was the third time for me to visit the Cape of Good Hope. I love the ocean and mountain view from there. I was delighted to visit this place since I like its history, the reasons behind its name, the Cape of Good Hope, and everything else related besides!

Protea Hotel. I was very surprised because the room was really cool. The hotel looked new and there were many protea, African flowers, decorated in various places. This place made me relaxed.

Waterfront Shopping Center. The shopping mall is full of many memories for me. We were unable to go to Table Mountain on the 26th, so we went shopping again, which became a joyful memory for me.

~

Kruger National Park. I was happy to stay at this beautifully clean hotel, since it was of a type not seen in -

Japan, so I felt very lucky to stay there. On the Game Drive, I was able to see four different animals, except for a Lion, among the Big Five. The most impressive animals for me were the four adorable hyena pups and I could not help taking ten pictures of them.

I~

Livingstone Hotel. I knew about this hotel even before visiting, since I had studied its history in school history class. It offered a superb river view and many monkeys as well as zebras and giraffes right before

our eyes.

r

The Victoria Falls (Zambia). I was just so impressed to see the actual waterfall for the first time. We walked along the trail beside the waterfall and although the splashes made us get wet, they also allowed us to see a beautiful rainbow.

Crocodile Park (Zambia). We saw many crocodiles and snakes at this park.

Game Drive (Zambia). We got to see impalas, wild beasts and boars. Of all the animals, however, I was most impressed by the herd of elephants approaching the bus.

City Lodge. The last day was the best for me. I got to see my friends, with whom I had been in touch by email and telephone for a long time. Two of them came to stay at the hotel, so the three of us went to the shopping mall at night, had dinner together and did a lot of shopping! It was just one day that we spent

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Ms. Akane Kinura's Impression

This was the first time for me to set foot on African soil. I remember identifying with the Little Prince who made a journey on a foreign planet; for there in Africa I witnessed people's lives totally different from ours in Japan. I was frightened when I saw the reality with my own eyes, though I had thought I already understood the situation from books and word of mouth.

"Naked homeless boys, children making bricks under adult supervision, slum districts with rows of poor houses unable to keep out the cold, streets covered in smoke from burn agriculture and controlled burning ... "

The "burn agriculture" was what shocked me most. It is one of the causes of desertification and there is no doubt that the situation will become disastrous if the practice continues. Nevertheless, people need to keep burning land for its nourishment and farmland expansion.

While this "aggressive energy" is necessary to further develop their lives, what people in Africa really need may be "aggressive energy with wisdom". A considerable number of their actions lead to the deterioration of the environment, contrary to the initial purposes, as is the case with the burn agriculture. During this journey, I realized the importance of "wisdom" again, which is invisible but essential.

In conclusion, Africa and Japan should try to deepen their knowledge by developing their relationship. I would like to take part in this challenge. One day, when it is overcome, I believe there will be a beautiful Africa and a world full of dreams. Finally, I'd like to express my sincere gratitude to the organizers of this competition for having offered me this precious opportunity. This journey gave me more dreams and challenges for the future. Thank you very much.

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Ms. Yoko Kawanura's Impression

Developing economies has been my area of interest since I went to the Philippines to study language in my junior year and I have also been studying development economics in economics seminars. ''The 21 st century will be the century of Africa" _ the words of Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, Soka University founder, _ made me decide to study the economics issue of African nations. During the seminar, I learned that developing nations and ventures to build a win-win relationship will be the first step to resolving the problems of poverty, which motivated me to write the essay.

The trip to Africa gave me the chance to learn three things, as written below.

The first is "Different Culture." I learned about different cultures when I visited the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand. However, it made me realize that I am small-minded with a narrow view on things and I committed myself to becoming a more broad-minded person.

The second is the "potential of potato agro-industry." I received-comments in response to the essay presented at the Science Council of Japan as well as after the speech contest. Many experts made comments to the effect that it was the key to reducing poverty in Africa, with extremely high feasibility, and they taught me the issue of how they offer potato agro-industry to international society. I would like to study this issue further.

The third is "the power of former President Mandela" On the last day, we went to Soweto, Mandela house, which I wanted to visit above all. Since I read the written dialogue between Mr. Mandela and Dr. Ikeda, a founder, I had always wanted to go to South Africa to study his philosophy and the background surrounding him. When I visited, I had the chance to talk to locals and those at the Regina Mundi church in Soweto, as well as attendants. I felt "former president Mandela is proud of South Africa," which made me think "What would be a strong leader who searches for peace?"

I consider this experience to be the biggest tu~ning point of my life. I will join an electronics manufacturer next year and my dream is to work for their head office in Africa to contribute toward economic development in the area. The trip gave me added determination toward this dream. Thank you very much.

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Contact Information

South Africa

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Mr. Nhlanhla Nyide

General Manager: Science Communications Department of Science and Technology

Tel: +27 128436793 Fax: +27 86 681 0167

Email: nhlanhla.nyide@dst.gov.za

http://www.dst.gov.za

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-Japan

-

Mr. Vuyani Lingela

Counsellor: Science and Technology South African Embassy in Japan

Tel: +81 3 3265 3366

Fax: +81 3 3265 1108

Email: lingela@rsatk.com http://www.science-technology.jp