Microsoft Word 02Preface doc

6
 
Conclusions 
6.1
 
Effects of Cooperation with the Three Target Research Institutes 
In reviewing the relationship between each research institute and the respective 
supervising agency, the NMIMR is a semi-autonomous institution under the University 
of Ghana, the KEMRI is directly under the jurisdiction of the Kenyan Ministry of Health, 
and the UTH, which is the parent organization of the UTH Virology and Tuberculosis 
Laboratories, is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health (hospital facilities) and 
the Ministry of Education (school of medicine facilities).    As a result of the evaluation 
study, it has been found that the three institutes contribute to infectious diseases control 
through their similar functions comprising research/diagnosis, human resources 
development, and surveillance/reference services under the framework of the functions 
of infectious diseases control, although their positioning as research institutes differs. 
According to the past project evaluation reports, the objects of JICA cooperation have 
been the three research institutes and the expected effects of cooperation have not gone 
beyond research and human resources development. However, as can be seen, the fact 
that each research institute dispatches researchers to health programmes and committees 
organized by the health ministries and provides technical advice, and representatives of 
the health ministries are engaged in the management of the research institutes, the JICA 
cooperation has had an affect on administrative decision-making through the research 
institutes and the institutes conduct personnel training with respect to public health. 
The following describes the commonality of the effects of JICA cooperation with the 
three research institutes elucidated in the evaluation study. 
 
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At the beginning of JICA cooperation, the collaborative relationship between the 
two institutes and the Ministry of Health was weakened and the administrative 
routes for reflecting the results of research in communicable disease control 
initiated by the Ministry of Health were not sufficiently established.    At present, 
the three research institutes conduct research in collaboration with their respective 
Ministries of Health, and they are regarded as major research institutes involved in 
infectious diseases control in each country. 

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The NMIMR, the KEMRI, and the UTH Virology and Tuberculosis Laboratories 
conduct testing and quality assurance in the process of infectious diseases control 
as reference laboratories, which cannot be replaced by any other laboratory in their 
respective countries or in the surrounding countries. In particular, the UTH 
Virology Laboratory has contributed to eradicating polio in Zambia in cooperation 
with the Polio Eradication Programme.     
 
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The research facilities provided through Japanese cooperation were essential for the 
acquisition of the advanced technology transferred by the Japanese counterparts.  
In addition, the establishment of a foundation for advanced research has made it 
possible to carry out joint research activities with overseas research institutions.  
Moreover, conducting joint research activities with overseas institutions has in turn 
further enhanced the research capacity of each institute. These institutes, which are 
dependent on external research subsidies, have also become able to strengthen their 
financial base through such joint research activities with overseas research 
institutions. 
 
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All three research institutes, the NMIMR, KEMRI, and UTH, are top-level 
institutes in their respective countries, and function as not only research institutes, 
but also training facilities in the field of health and medicine.  Each institute 
conducts technical training activities for health and medical personnel, as well as 
graduate and undergraduate students.  Moreover, the researchers at the NMIMR 
and the KEMRI lecture at national universities in their respective countries.   
 
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Each research institute dispatches researchers to health programmes and 
committees organized by their Ministries of Health, and give advice to these 
ministries.    The achievements of JICA cooperation have contributed to infectious 
diseases control by the governments in the form of technical assistance to health 
programmes and committees beyond the scope of the research institutes, although 
this was not originally anticipated as an effect of the cooperation.