South Africa, March 6 -- On January 27, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed a loan agreement with FirstRand Bank Limited.This project directly contributes to the "strengthening of efforts to improve the financing gap for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs)" outlined in the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) Action Plan, endorsed in the Leaders' Declaration at the G20 South Africa Summit in November 2025.JICA has long supported South African enterprises in improving quality, productivity, and competitiveness by leveraging Japan's experience through the technical cooperation project "Kaizen for Quality and Productivity Improvement." By combining the promotion of financial inclusion under ...