23approach to AfDB led to the establishment in 2015 of an Asia Representative Office and the conclusion of our agreement with AfDB in 2019. Sophia engaged with the Japan-Africa Dream Scholarship program soon after it was established.The agreement with AfDB immensely broadened our perspective on Africa. Our university has experts related to Africa in various fields, but I was most hopeful that AfDB could provide a multi-dimensional context to our wider study of Africa. Nomoto: I am glad to hear that. In fact, AfDB differs from other regional development banks in that it was established solely by African countries. Non-regional members, namely, non-African countries, were allowed to join AfDB in 1982 after 18 years of its establishment in 1964. On the contrary, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) had non-regional members from the start. With such history, the presidents, prime ministers, and ministers of African countries often call AfDB as “our bank,” reflecting their intimacy to the bank.Terumichi: “Our Bank” – that’s interesting. Countries we used to call “developed,” including Japan, are no longer leading. And Africa is no longer backward; Africa is now advancing on the global stage. Not seeing things this way means missing out on the changes happening in Africa and around the world. Nomoto: I was impressed by President Terumichi’s words and the fact that Sophia University is approaching Africa with clear vision and firm conviction. We at AfDB will strengthen our part-nership with universities and business stakeholders in Japan to en-gage Japan more in Africa’s development and realize the concept of “Japan and Africa growing together.” Meanwhile, I hope that young Japanese people look to Africa to learn that they can make a difference in society. This may provide an opportunity for Japan to regain its dynamism. Terumichi: Yes, I agree with you, and that is why I believe it is our university’s responsibility to provide educational programs that allow our students to keep pace with the dynamic changes occur-ring in Africa.
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