𝗙𝗘𝗠𝗔𝗟𝗘 𝗕𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗦𝗔𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗢 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞𝗘𝗥 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗟𝗘𝗧𝗘𝗦 𝗝𝗜𝗖𝗔-𝗟𝗘𝗗 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗠 𝗜𝗡 𝗝𝗔𝗣𝗔𝗡

COTABATO CITY – Shariffa Ainie M. Abatayo, a planning officer of the Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority (BPDA), successfully completed the 34-day course dubbed as “General Management for Regional Development and Planning – Approaches to Problem Solving,” spearheaded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Hokkaido, Japan on October 12 to November 14, 2023.

The said activity is under the Knowledge Co-Creation Program (KCCP) of JICA funded by the Official Development Assistance Program of the Government of Japan. 

Abatayo is one of the two participants representing the Philippines, who were also joined by three participants from Bhutan, and one participant from the countries of North Macedonia, Papua New Guinea, Dominican Republic, and Mongolia, bringing a total of nine international participants for the said course.

The course is comprised of various learning methods, including presentations, discussions, actual site visits, cultural exchange, and workshops with different experts and authorities.

Prof. Takayuki Hiraki, Dean of Tokai University, Saori Kitamura, Hideaki Nakabayashi of Hokkaido Regional Development Bureau (HRDB), and Masako Kishimoto of Japan International Cooperation Center (JICE) are the experts and officials who took part in the 34-day course by imparting their knowledge, skills, and experiences to the participants.

Moreover, among the learnings acquired by the participants include the unique characteristics of Hokkaido and the beginning of its development as a region.  This includes the development administration in the entire region compared to other prefectures in Japan, its natural resources, efforts of the people through public participation, and its efforts towards decarbonization approaching the 9th Hokkaido Comprehensive Development Plan (HCDP).

Other than learning the HCDP, the participants also got a glimpse of the good practices and the challenges faced by the participating countries as shared by its respective representatives. (𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙖 𝙇𝙖𝙤-𝙇𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙖 / 𝘽𝙋𝘿𝘼-𝘽𝘼𝙍𝙈𝙈)