We are pleased to announce that the program proposed by the University of Tsukuba, “Interdisciplinary Field Study Program for Co-Creating Harmonious Future,” has been selected under Type II (African countries) of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) initiative for Inter-University Exchange Project (FY2025: Building Inter-University Exchange Programs with Global South Countries). The partner country for this program is Ghana, and the program will be jointly implemented with three leading Ghanaian institutions, namely the University of Ghana, the University of Cape Coast, and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
Japan is currently facing rapid population decline and aging, with projections indicating that its population will fall below 100 million by 2050. In contrast, the population of the African continent is expected to grow from approximately 1.5 billion to 2.5 billion, accounting for one quarter of the world’s population. Although Japan and Africa are geographically distant, Japan has steadily deepened its engagement with the continent, most notably through its leadership of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) since 1993. For Japan and Africa to continue thriving as mutually beneficial partners, it is essential that we learn about one another, deepen mutual understanding, respect differing perspectives, and work together to co-create the future societies.
What kind of image do you hold of Africa? When I was a junior and senior high school student in the 1980s, severe famine struck East Africa, particularly Ethiopia, and media coverage frequently showed people walking in search of food. Around the same time, the charity song “We Are the World,” released by prominent American artists to support African relief efforts, became a global hit. Influenced by such media portrayals, Africa was often perceived as a continent defined by “pity” and “aid.”
It is true that even today, many people in Africa continue to suffer from hunger due to conflict, civil war, and extreme weather, and these realities must not be ignored. Yet, this is far from the whole story. For example, mobile money has become deeply embedded in everyday life, and reports indicate that Africa accounted for approximately 70 percent of the world’s mobile payment transactions in 2021. In addition, space development initiatives are advancing across the continent, culminating in the establishment of the African Space Agency (AfSA) in April 2025. These developments underscore the fact that Africa is also experiencing remarkable growth and innovation as it moves toward the future.
Through this program, undergraduate students of the University of Tsukuba—the next generation of global leaders—will cultivate a strong commitment to co-creating the future societies. They will share this aspiration with their Ghanaian peers, envision the societies we ought to build, and actively challenge themselves to turn these visions into reality through joint learning experiences in both Japan and Ghana. The program is designed to be accessible to students from all academic disciplines. By bringing together students from diverse fields in Japan and Ghana, participants will encounter a wide range of values and the “unknown,” and are expected to generate the knowledge necessary to design future societies of coexistence. We warmly invite all forward-looking students to take part in this ambitious and future-oriented program.
Masao Ichikawa, Program leader
Professor, Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba