The 35th Anniversary Ceremony of Sasakawa Africa Association

Professor Ruth Oniang’o, Chair of Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA), ministers of agriculture and government officials from the respective African countries, and participants, I would like to sincerely congratulate you on the 35th anniversary of SAA. No other organization has consistently provided agricultural assistance in various parts of Africa for so long as SAA. I would once again like to express my sincere respect to your efforts over many years under the outstanding leadership of Professor Oniang’o.

“One World, One Family.” This is the basic philosophy of The Nippon Foundation. We see the world as one family and provide humanitarian assistance across the boundaries of politics, religion, race, nation states, and national borders. This belief was also held by my late father Ryoichi Sasakawa, who firmly believed the need to provide agricultural assistance in Africa in response to the great famine in Ethiopia in 1984. We joined forces with Dr. Norman Borlaug and the former U.S. President Jimmy Carter to help smallholder farmers, who are the mainstay of agriculture in Africa. Policies were designed, implemented and carried over throughout the 35 years by all of you. This has helped the smallholder farmers to gain independence and improve their standard of living.

I would venture to say that we have both experienced successes as well as made many mistakes. We have been the subject of both praise and criticism. The last 35 years have not been a smooth ride. We faced numerous challenges. But each time, we did not try to sidestep those difficulties but faced them and overcame them. It was all for the sake of ensuring that “children in Africa did not have to go to sleep hungry.” We persisted and made the effort to “Take it to the farmers.” This spirit of never giving up has made SAA an indispensable organization in Africa.

Recently, SAA’s new strategy was set up to further expand agriculture in Africa. I think it is a wonderful new strategy that fully reflects your experience, wisdom, and passion. However, no matter how excellent a plan, there will always be unexpected difficulties. It is in such times of difficulty that we need to show our resolve as we have done in the past, and overcome difficulties. Today, we have in attendance those of you involved in agriculture in Africa from respective countries’ governments, research institutes, and the non-profit sector. I strongly hope that you will continue to cooperate across countries and organizations for the future of agriculture in Africa. If we can join forces and work together, we can make the lives of people in Africa more prosperous and bring about a more hopeful Africa. Once again, I would like to express my congratulations on the 35th anniversary of SAA. Thank you very much.

＊This video message is available at The Nippon Foundation YouTube.