The Japanese delegation visited the NU School of Mining and Geosciences to discuss the educational needs of Kazakhstan in mining and geology and the future technical cooperation with Japanese universities. During the meeting, JICA representative Dr. Yoshitaka Hosoi spoke about JICA’s activities in the mining industry, ongoing projects, and opportunities for cooperation with the NU School of Mining and Geosciences. Akita University’s graduate, Dr. Hosoi, has a background in mining and economics and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Queensland.
“We are going to establish a relationship with NU. We have already accepted some people from NU and representatives of other Kazakhstani universities. So we would like to make a network connection through these universities. JICA is a service, not an educational body; therefore, we introduce universities so that they can collaborate with each other soon,” – said Dr. Yoshitaka Hosoi.
“We are interested in education training and intensives for our students, who are starting their Master’s and Ph.D. programs. Maybe our students will be involved in their projects, or we will initiate joint projects,” said Associate professor of SMG Dr. Irawan Sonny.
JICA is the independent agency that assists and supports developing countries as the Japanese ODA (Official Development Assistance) executing agency that provides aid to nations who need it. As an organization responsible for delivering ODA, JICA helps create a workforce, transfer technology and stimulate infrastructure development in different countries through technical cooperation, loans, and grant assistance based on bilateral aid.
This visit is expected to be followed up with a symposium at NU in September this year. Central Asia countries’ universities, private companies, and JICA representatives are to discuss current projects and technologies in mining, metallurgy, and energy.
