“Industrial business clusters are key to the success of any development because of agglomeration economies,” says Keijiro Otsuka, Professor at the Graduate School of Economics, Kobe University in Japan.
In a conference at the Félix Houphouët-Boigny University this Tuesday, March 3, this specialist in Development Economics, believes that the first stage of industrial development in Côte d'Ivoire lies in the practice of Kaizen.
Created in the 1950s for the reconstruction of Japanese industry after the Second World War, Kaizen is a process of evaluation and continuous improvement of management, products and services which has favored the development of Asian countries. from the east.
To implement this method in Côte d'Ivoire, “it is essential to have trained and qualified workers. And to invest in the training of the human capital of entrepreneurs, mainly in management, so that they are able to innovate, using new technologies”, he maintains.
Professor Keijiro Otsuka also recommends that the authorities go "step by step" in the quest for successful industries. Because, he says, “no shortcut is possible in the march towards industrialization”. Before inviting them to support and invest in promising companies with great potential.
For Professor Alban Ahouré, Director of the Economic Policy Analysis Unit, “most often in industrial units, there is a question of the need for financing for long-term growth. But it's not always the case. Managerial skills and new knowledge are also important to promote innovation in order to sustain the company”.
Initiated by the Felix Houphouët-Boigny University, the Economic Policy Analysis Unit and the Japanese Embassy, this conference is part of the Ivorian-Japanese cooperation.
As such, Japan, through Ambassador Kuramitsu Hideaki, is delighted with “this intellectual and human exchange”. And hopes that the meeting will provide an opportunity to reflect and reach "prospects for the future development of Côte d'Ivoire".