An Analysis of Successes and Failures of Japanese Technical Assistance for African Development

—A Case in Zambia—

Abstract

This paper is concerned with international perception gaps in management of Project-based Technical Cooperation Project (PTC) conducted by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The first section reviews the environment of PTC and finds that PTC is questioned in terms of its effectiveness and relevancy. Moreover, Japanese international assistance including PTC has shifted its geographical focus from Asia to Africa. Thus, the paper asserts that the way of managing PTC needs to be reconsidered. The second section reviews management of PTC from the perspective of general project management. PTC is found to be one of the most complicated projects compared to general (simple) projects and it requires practical capacities of management other than orthodox management. Although PTC is very complicated, the management of PTC has not been studied and the responsibility of managing PTC is left to project members who are forced to manage in ad hoc manner. By its nature, PTC is influenced by different stakeholders who have unique perspectives influenced by own cultures and ways of thinking. The third section analyzes perceptions related to management of PTC in Africa. The author critically reviews the assumption that African countries have different cultures compared to western (developed) countries and Asian countries. The third section analyzes the results of a questionnaire survey of 5 PTCs in Zambia, which involve 14 Japanese and 15 Zambians. The survey reveals a significant gap between Japanese and Zambians in their perceptions of “success criteria” and “success factors” of PTC. Besides, the author found the perception gaps even in other groupings, while there is a considerable perception gap among individuals even of the same group. The fourth section discusses future directions for further studies of management of PTC.