On June 26 to July 3, 2016, JCIE organized a press tour that brought a delegation of journalists from Japan to several locations in Ethiopia to examine the country’s development through the lens of the country’s healthcare system. The tour was conducted as part of JCIE’s Global Health and Human Security Program and aimed to revitalize the domestic dialogue within Japan about how it can contribute to global health. 

In Addis Ababa, the capital of the nation and the administrative seat of the African Union (AU), participants met with the ministers of health and foreign affairs as well as with the AU commissioner for social affairs to discuss the strategic role of health and development in the region. They also traveled to various townships in the Tigray Region to speak with religious leaders, community groups, and rural households on grassroots public health initiatives, while seeing local-level health and sanitation initiatives in action through visits to rural health posts, referral hospitals, and local communities.