Leveraging Impact Finance and Empowering Communities to Improve Food Security and Promote Sustainable Blue Economies

Events

Leveraging Impact Finance and Empowering Communities to Improve Food Security and Promote Sustainable Blue Economies

Organizer：Ocean Policy Research Institute of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (OPRI-SPF)

In conjunction with the forthcoming 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9), the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF), through its Ocean Policy Research Institute (OPRI), will organize a event entitled “Leveraging Impact Finance and Empowering Communities to Improve Food Security and Promote Sustainable Blue Economies.” The event is intended to support deliberations at TICAD 9, which will be held from August 20 to 22, 2025, in Yokohama.

This event will focus on discussing how impact finance can contribute to building social capacity to improve food security and promote sustainable blue economies in Africa. It will also explore financing methods and public–private partnerships that can simultaneously promote the sustainable use of marine resources and revitalize local economies.

Through this initiative, we aim to deepen cooperation between Japan and African partners, including SPF, and strengthen the foundation for continued collaboration beyond TICAD 9.

Regarding registration

If you would like to participate, please apply from this page by 23:59 on Monday, August 18(JST).

*After applying, you will receive a temporary registration confirmation email, so please click the registration completion URL in the email to complete your registration. Due to the large number of inquiries due to incomplete registration, we ask that you proceed with the registration procedure to the end.

*If you do not receive the temporary registration confirmation email, the email from spfpr@spf.or.jp may be in your spam folder.

* Personal information received from everyone at the time of application will be used to guide you to seminars, lectures, etc. sponsored or supported by our foundation.

Contact: Ocean Policy Research Institute
Email: oceanpolicy-event (@) spf.or.jp
Tel: +81-3-5157-5210

For media inquiries:
Public Relations Division
Tel: +81-3-5157-5395
Email: spfpr (@) spf.or.jp

Program

14:00-14:05 JST	Opening Session Atsushi Sunami, President, Sasakawa Peace Foundation
14:05-14:10 JST	Overviews of the theme Masanori Kobayashi, Senior Research Fellow, SPF
14:10-14:55 JST	High Level Session “Policy and institutional transformation for leveraging impact finance and empowering communities to improve food security and promote sustainable blue economies” Peter Turkson, Chancellor, Pontifical Academy of Sciences and Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences (Video Message) Other Speakers (TBC）
14:55-15:05 JST	Short Break
15:05-15:50 JST	Technical Session “Nexus of macro-policies and field operations for leveraging impact finance and empowering communities to improve food security and promote sustainable blue economies” Mr. Kotaro Sueyoshi – Deputy General Manager, Sustainable Business Department, Mizuho Financial Group and Mizuho Bank Ms. Prishani Satyapal – Executive Director, Earth Our Common Home Fund. Mr. Jimmiel Mandima, Head of Africa Division, Conservation International (CI) Other Speakers(TBC)
15:50-16:00 JST	Closing Session

*Please note that the event program and speakers are subject to change.

Speaker

Profile

Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson is a prominent Ghanaian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. Ordained as a priest in 1975, he served as Archbishop of Cape Coast from 1992 to 2009. In 2003, he was elevated to the College of Cardinals by Pope John Paul II. He later held key positions in the Vatican, including President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace (2009–2017) and Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development (2017–2021).

Since 2022, Cardinal Turkson has served as Chancellor of both the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, where he continues to advocate for social justice, environmental stewardship, and interfaith dialogue. He holds advanced degrees in theology and sacred scripture from institutions in Ghana, the United States, and Rome. Known for his deep commitment to global equity and sustainable development.

Speaker

Alan Dones

Chairman, Earth Our Common Home Fund

Speaker

Kotaro Sueyoshi

Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. , Mizuho Bank, Ltd. And Mizuho Trust& Banking Co., Ltd. Managing Director, Advisor to Group Chief Sustainability Officer(Sustainability & Impact)

Profile

Kotaro has over twenty years of extensive experience in driving corporate banking business growth and strategic initiative across large corporates, international business, and startup & innovation development.
Since 2022, Kotaro has taken on the role of Advisor to Group Chief Sustainable Officer and Joint General Manager of the Sustainable Business Promotion Department, where he leads the planning and promotion of sustainable business strategies.
Kotaro is regarded as one of the foremost experts on impact finance in Japan. He chairs the Data Index Subcommittee of the Impact Consortium led by Japan FSA. He is also a Committee member of GSG Impact Japan and the Impact-driven Financial Initiative.
Kotaro holds an MBA from the Ohio State University Fisher college of Business and Bachelor of Economic from Keio University.

Speaker

Prishani Satyapal

Executive Director, Earth Our Common Home Fund.

Speaker

Jimmiel Mandima

Head of Africa Division, Conservation International (CI)

Profile

Since 2020, Atsushi Sunami has served as President of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation. He graduated from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and earned both a Master’s degree and a Ph.D. in Political Science from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. After working as a researcher at the Nomura Research Institute’s Policy Research Department, he held various academic positions at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), including Associate Professor, Professor, and Vice President. He currently serves as Special Advisor to the President and Director of the Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Research Center at GRIPS. He has also contributed to government policymaking as a member and advisor on science, technology, and innovation policy for agencies such as the Cabinet Office, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In the fields of science diplomacy and international cooperation, he has been actively engaged in policy proposals and institutional design through dialogue and collaboration.

Aug. 19, 2025