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Japanese Organization Is Helping Spread Baseball In Africa

By Walter Yeates |
Jul 21, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; A baseball, baseball glove and baseballs are shown on the infield during batting practice before the game against the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 21, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; A baseball, baseball glove and baseballs are shown on the infield during batting practice before the game against the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

The Japan International Cooperation Agency is helping build a baseball foundation throughout Africa. Since 1970 the agency has sent over 230 volunteers to the continent to help spread the game to African youth.

In an extremely feel-good story, the JICA is using baseball in order to teach life lessons to children in Africa – who know next to nothing about Major League Baseball or the stars the league has created. However, they are beginning to experience the joys of baseball just as millions of Americans have as well.

In September 2004, Paul Manoma became the first African to go through a full training program with a Japanese baseball team when he visited Japan to train with the Hiroshima Carp. Manoma had been a star for the Ghanaian national team.

The New York Times recently published an article about the activities of the JICA, detailing the quality of the work they perform:

They have helped create leagues in Burkina Faso and Tanzania, and the Japanese government paid for new fields in Ghana and Uganda. African coaches and top players visit Japan for training. A few Africans have earned spots on teams in Japan’s independent leagues.

Those grants totaled $120,000 and helped those fields open in 2014. 24-year-old Ryoma Ogawa is currently a volunteer in Senegal and spoke of how he runs practices as well with the Times stating, “I’ve had to teach the basics very slowly. They’re very energetic, but it’s all new for them.” Ogawa was a high school outfielder in Japan.

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He also helps instill discipline with the young players – every time one of them make an errant throw, they must retrieve it. Before each practice players also must clean all trash and rocks from the playing field.

Currently instructors from the JICA work in four African countries: Uganda, Zimbabwe, Ghana and Senegal. These instructors are attempting to build a baseball culture in Africa. However, funding is still low, facilities are not of a high quality, and equipment is difficult to come by in impoverished areas.

There is hope that at some point Japan’s top league, Nippon Professional Baseball, will help expand the game in Africa. Which is a venture that MLB should also consider investing in, especially considering how the league already has a strong international influence. Approximately 25 percent of those on MLB rosters were born outside of the United States.

With academies throughout Latin America, the same could eventually happen in Africa if both of baseball’s top leagues invested in developing the game throughout the continent. Of course concerns of terrorist threats and the long-term stability of the region will come into consideration. However, it still seems likely the game could spread in popularity.

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With small leagues developing in countries like Tanzania and more success coming from African national teams, the future of baseball does look as if it’s found another area for growth.

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