Dr. Ayano Kunimitsu, a member of the Representatives of Japan, traveled to Kenya from July 7th to 11th 2023 to participate in the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and Nagasaki University. As part of this visit, on July 8th,Dr. Kunimitsu, along with Professor Satoshi Kaneko, the director of the Nagasaki University Research Base, visited Kwale-Kinango Hospital to inspect a joint project involving Nagasaki University, NEC, KEMRI, and a new technology for newborn fingerprint authentication.
During the visit, Dr. Muuo, a collaborative researcher from KEMRI, was also join. They observed the process of fingerprint authentication for newborns conducted by local staff in the hospital’s neonatal ward and praised the research project’s achievements.
After the MOU signing ceremony, a visit was also conducted to the Kenya base, during which they toured the newly established laboratories and the P3 lab that was set up last year. Discussions were held with Professor Morita, Director of the DEJIMA Infectious Disease Research Alliance (DIDA), and Deputy Director Inoue, concerning the future vision of research projects at Nagasaki University’s Kenya base, with a focus on infectious disease prevention.
On July 11th, Dr. Kunimitsu made a courtesy visit to Dr. Songok, Director of KEMRI, and participated in the MOU signing ceremony.
In Dr. Kunimitsu speech during the ceremony, she mentioned Prime Minister Kishida’s visit to Kenya in May and his discussions with President Ruto, emphasizing Japan’s commitment to enhancing cooperation and supporting health projects, including neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), in Kenya. She expressed expectations for the strengthening of relations between Nagasaki University and KEMRI and their contributions to the development of research projects.
Representative Dr.Kunimatsu, Professor Morita, Staff Member Ishiguro, and Staff Member Bugua)