The Japan International Cooperation Agency office in Samoa has announced the resumption of the JICA-funded Knowledge Co-Creation Program (K.C.C.P.) to upskill Samoans.

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 and the subsequent shut down of international travel led to the suspension of the program for two years.

However, the JICA office in Samoa advised in a statement issued this week that the program has been revived and selected participants will be allowed to travel to Japan to undergo training. 

Two public servants in the Samoa Government have been announced as the two successful recipients of the training program: Samasoni Moala of the Curriculum Division under the Ministry of Education Sports and Culture, and Stella Sahara Tuiloma of the Fisheries Division under the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.

They are set to leave the country on 15 August to participate in two separate trainings held in Japan.

According to the statement released by JICA, they’ve made a lot of effort to effectively utilise a remote approach to its professional training courses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The training courses have moved to an online format, according to JICA, and have confirmed through follow-up interviews that Samoan participants have successfully learned a lot of useful knowledge and skills through the online training courses. 

JICA significantly adjusted its training activity with the course designed for offline being conducted online.

The KCCP is an important means of technical cooperation as some of the knowledge that Japanese society has accumulated, including its background in areas such as organisational know-how and social systems, can be experienced through first hand experience.

Around 10,000 participants from 194 countries take part in the program annually, which certifies the training global scale and as of 2021 the cumulative total of training participants from Samoa attending JICA training stands at 1366 since 1968.

The training programs in Japan draw a larger audience of specialists from different countries, making it easier to share their knowledge and experience and help participants digest relevant knowledge and how to utilise newly learned knowledge in their works.

The JICA Samoa Office will continue follow-up activities and communication with ex-participants to KCCP in order to discuss potential partnerships. 

JICA also hopes that it would be possible to combine online and offline training formats. Participants will be able to gain not only theoretical knowledge but also hands-on experience during their stay in Japan.