SUCRECUBE Japon offers companies and institutions that want to apply their technology or funds to Africa’s social challenges a place to put them into practice. In the villages of West Africa, schools and health posts have no electricity, and harvests are lost for lack of cold storage. Bringing a technology to these needs requires an organisation that can run it on the ground. SUCRECUBE Japon has built that organisation over eight years since its founding in 2018: a subsidiary in Senegal, memoranda of understanding with three ministries, two sites in Sandiara and a local maintenance team. There are eight ways to work with us, and they can be combined.
Support with a social contribution budget
A corporate foundation or a social contribution budget funds a pilot at our sites. SUCRECUBE Japon designs the pilot, carries it out in the field and records the results in a form usable in the company’s reporting.
Example: the solar cold container pilot in Sandiara is supported by a grant from the MOL Blue Ocean Fund (Mitsui O.S.K. Lines).
Appoint us as your local contractor
Your company applies to a public programme, such as JICA’s private sector partnership programme (JICA Biz), and SUCRECUBE Japon carries it out on the ground as your local contractor. We take on the field survey, coordination with institutions, installation, training and reporting.
Example: SUCRECUBE Japon has itself been selected under JICA Biz and is working in three health posts in Casamance.
Test your product in the field
Your product is placed at our sites (schools, health posts, processing unit) to see how it is used. We take on site selection, coordination with partner institutions, installation and operation, and usage records.
Example: in February 2025, Seiko Epson’s energy-saving inkjet printers were tested in five primary schools in Senegal. Beyond teaching materials, teachers also used them for school notices and pupils’ record books. The project was featured in the Nikkei on 12 February 2026 (read the article). The pairing with a Seiko Epson printer is also being tested in health posts in Casamance.
Sell through our subsidiary
TUMIQUI JAPON SASU, our Senegalese subsidiary, becomes the local agent for your product: sales, installation and maintenance. You benefit from its ties with partner ministries and local authorities, and from its local technical team.
Example: since its founding in 2020, the subsidiary has listed local representation of Japanese companies among its activities.
Field research and market entry support
SUCRECUBE Japon takes on market research, hosting visits, interpreting and dealing with the authorities. You can see the ground before deciding to enter the market.
Field research and market entry support
Propose a public programme together
The technologies of several companies are combined at one site, under a public programme or a joint investment. SUCRECUBE Japon designs the project, prepares the application, and builds and runs the site.
Example: under a subsidy programme of METI (Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry), two sites were built in Sandiara with the following four companies.
| Company | Role |
|---|---|
| Mitsui O.S.K. Lines | International logistics. Supports the pilot as part of its social contribution activities |
| Seiko Epson | KIOSK printer: printing of administrative documents and ID photos |
| Daikin Industries | Refrigerated container |
| Dai Nippon Printing | Vacuum insulation panels for the refrigeration unit |
Bid together for international procurement
A manufacturer or trading company and SUCRECUBE Japon respond together to a tender from an international organisation. As a registered vendor on the United Nations Global Marketplace (UNGM), SUCRECUBE Japon takes on the bid in English and French, delivery, training and maintenance.
Example: under a UNICEF procurement in The Gambia, 147 TUMIQUI Smart Kits were delivered to 122 schools.
Work with research institutes and universities
A research institute’s or university’s technology is tested at our sites under local conditions. SUCRECUBE Japon provides the test site, installation and local operation.
Example: under a pilot study for Japan’s Ministry of Communications, X-ICS, developed by NICT, is installed in Sandiara and Dakar. A memorandum of understanding on technical cooperation has been signed with the Faculty of Science and Technology of Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar (UCAD).
What SUCRECUBE Japon takes on
- Field survey: our technicians visit candidate sites and confirm what is missing there.
- Coordination with institutions: the company handles discussions with the ministries and local authorities with which it has signed a memorandum of understanding.
- Installation and operation: the Senegalese subsidiary handles transport, installation and commissioning.
- Maintenance: local technicians carry out periodic checks and repairs to keep downtime short.
- Records and reporting: usage and changes observed in the field are recorded and reported in a form usable in the company’s disclosures.
Social contribution budgets rise and fall with the economy. When a pilot leads to the company’s own business, the relationship with the field lasts. That is why the company offers several ways to work together.
Starting by bringing equipment back into service
Solar installations placed under aid programmes have stopped at the end of their battery life and have not been repaired. Replacing the battery and restarting the installation costs less than building a new one. SUCRECUBE Japon also takes enquiries that begin with this replacement.
Voices from Senegal and Japan
“I know well that SUCRECUBE (and its local subsidiary TUMIQUI JAPON) has built up a continuous track record in Senegal in the field of education. This project is a remarkable new challenge, based on that trust and experience. I very much hope that in the future, Japanese technology and partnership will also address the storage of agricultural produce, which the State regards as a priority, for example the storage of harvests of several hundred thousand tonnes.”
Serigne Guèye Diop, Minister of Industry and Commerce of Senegal
“In an Africa that is ‘far’ from Japan, and in French-speaking Senegal where Japanese companies are still few, this challenge to solve social problems should leave a strong impression of the value of ‘Made With Japan’ on local people, through the partnership with several major Japanese companies. As a pioneer opening a new path in Africa, I sincerely look forward to its further growth.”
Ken Shibusawa, President and CEO, Shibusawa and Company
Enquiries
Tell us the product you want to test, the type of budget available and the field you are interested in (education, health, agriculture). We will propose a starting point among our sites and the institutions with which we have a memorandum of understanding.
We are looking for partners. Product deployment, joint projects and field pilots. Talk to us.