Japan to Launch Demining Initiative in Africa, Looking to Boost Agricultural Output on the Continent
The initiative aims to leverage Japanese technology to accelerate mine clearance, which has been a major obstacle to post-conflict reconstruction and development across the continent. By clearing landmines and unexploded ordnance, Japan hopes to boost agricultural productivity in Africa.
Under the new framework, Japanese companies with expertise in mine clearance technology will cooperate with the U.N. Mine Action Service to provide seamless support, from initial clearance to community rebuilding and victim assistance.
Japan will use its official development assistance to provide African nations with Japanese landmine detectors and database hardware for managing minefield data, facilitating quick progress on clearance efforts. In collaboration with the Cambodian Mine Action Center, which Japan has long supported, the initiative will also train personnel on clearance techniques, with the trainees coming from African nations coping with landmines and unexploded ordnance.
More than 20 African countries continue to suffer from the legacy of civil wars, with landmines and other undetonated explosives restricting land use and disrupting shipping. The initiative will support agricultural development on cleared land, contributing to regional stabilization. It will also help improve the production of prosthetic legs for victims by using the 3D printing technology of Japanese firms.
This year, Japan is serving as the president of the meeting of states signed on to the Ottawa Convention, or the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty, with Zambia set to take over the presidency next year. The treaty is facing challenges, as Russia, which is not a signatory, has laid many landmines in the occupied territories of Ukraine. In response, Ukraine has cited the need to use mines defensively and has indicated it wants to withdraw from the treaty, reflecting a growing movement in Europe to abandon the framework. Through its new initiative in Africa, the Japanese government hopes to build international momentum for the treaty.
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