Japan donates $1m to extremism prevention project in Africa

Addis Ababa, February 26, 2021 (FBC) –The Government of Japan has donated $1 million to a project aimed at preventing extremism and its resurgence in Africa.

Japanese Ambassador to Ethiopia, Ito Takako, and Director of UNESCO International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA), Dr. Yumiko Yokozeki signed the project agreement here today.

The agreement signing ceremony was also attended by Dr. Vera Songwe, the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).

The objective of the project is to support African member states’ efforts to use education to prevent violent extremism and its resurgence amid the COVID-19 pandemic, aligned with the spirit of TICAD 7 and Japan’s New Approach for Peace and Stability in Africa (NAPSA).

The project targeted educators, teachers and youth in 54 African countries through collaboration with the African Union, and regional economic communities in Africa and other partners working on the area.

The project builds upon lessons learned from the previous four projects mainly from silencing the guns in Africa in 2020 through investing in youth education project which is implemented under the COVID pandemic with the support gained from Japan.

This year’s project will directly contribute to TICAD’s 7 overarching theme on advancing Africa’s development through people, technology, and innovation.