In 2008, Tsubaki founded the Asia Africa Investment and Consulting (AAIC) and was appointed Representative Director and Partner. 2013, he has established AAIC Investment, the fund management arm of AAIC, and has been the Director/ CEO since the establishment.

He carries out new business development, market entry support, M＆A, partner sourcing support, business conversion support, etc. through consulting and investment in developing countries including China, Southeast Asia, India, the Middle East, and Africa. In 2014, he formed Japan’s first Africa-focused fund and implemented operations. He currently manages the Africa Healthcare Fund (AHF1 and AHF2).

Co-author of “Hyper-accelerated Africa Economy: Future Business Map Changed by LEAPFROG” (Toyo Keizai Inc.), he has authored numerous publications and given many lectures.

Tsubaki is a Master of Business Administration (MBA) Professor at the Business Breakthrough University.
Tsubaki graduated from The University of Tokyo College of Arts and Sciences.

Since 2002, HIDEYA TANAKA has been exclusively involved in the launch of advertising media business and HR business in China. He has worked on business planning, marketing, human resources, recruitment, finance, legal affairs, government affairs, and other major management issues associated with the launch of the China business.

In 2008, he founded Pan Asia Partners Inc. Ltd. (now AAIC) and became a partner. He is mainly responsible for business strategy planning, marketing, research, business establishment and operation, and management support services in Greater China and Southeast Asia. In particular, in China, he has promoted business life cycle optimization support services from the start-up phase of investment to exit in a wide range of products, services, and industries, including manufacturing, services, distribution, trading, and web business.

In recent years, he has focused on the expansion of wide-area business through China, Asia, and Africa. Continuing activities with an awareness of always pursuing efficient utilization of management resources by penetrating the strategic layer and the on-site business activities.

Bachelor of Arts in Commerce from Waseda University

Shigeru Handa is a seasoned professional with over 20 years of business development consulting experience in the private sector, venture capital investments as well as international development, especially in emerging countries.

He has extensive experience in leading multi-national management teams even in fragile states. At Boston Consulting Group, Handa provided a variety of business processes and strategies. He supported companies in reforming their business portfolios and developing business investment strategies. He worked with pharmaceutical companies in enhancing their sales strategies. When he joined a Natural Lawson for a new retail format, he led Human Resource and Marketing teams to formulate corporate identity, marketing and store expansions strategies.

At UNDP Iraq, he designed methods for financing, provided fiduciary monitoring on economic infrastructure projects, such as energy, healthcare. He managed the private sector development team and led the private sector strategy with Prime Minister Advisory Commission of Iraq.

Handa joined AAIC in 2015. He is In charge of sourcing, evaluating innovative businesses, investment as well as advising companies on formulating their business and partnership strategies for entering the markets in Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

Board members of 6 start ups including Africa Healthcare Network. As part of ProBono international development support, serve as a director of Plan International Japan.

He holds a Bachelor of Law from Kyoto University, a Master of Public Administration and a Master of Accounting, both, from the University of Southern California (USC), USA.

Hiroki Ishida is a Principal (Africa) of AAIC. Ishida started his career at Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation. Ishida experienced operations, sales, and planning in the corporate sector and mastered a significant amount of financial knowledge. Ishida also gained experience in the HR department and created systems to facilitate staff training development as a team leader. After completing an M.B.A, Ishida joined Accenture Japan Ltd. and participated in several projects: offshore development for an automobile-related company in emerging Asian countries, merger of foreign financial institutions, etc.

Ishida holds a Bachelor of Arts (in Managerial Accounting ) from Kobe University, and an M.B.A from The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Class of 2012).

Nobuhiko Ichimiya is a Manager of AAIC. He was CFO of an E-commerce start-up company in Rwanda invested by one of the biggest Japanese IT companies and led the finance team to work on the implementation of the governance prior to joining AAIC.

Ichimiya engaged in the power infrastructure industry on IPP/IWPP for 7 years. He served as a Senior Manager- Commercial and Finance at Marubeni Power Asset Management in Abu Dhabi, UAE, for 3 years. He was in charge of accounting, tax, and commercial challenges of 10 projects in the Middle East (UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia), co-working with the management of project companies. He also took the board sheet of 5 project companies and managed negotiations and relationships among shareholders. Before this project, Ichimiya worked as a Financial and accounting coordinator in the Power and Infrastructure division of Marubeni Corporation for 4 years and worked on Account closing and budgeting/forecasting of subsidiaries and affiliates in Taiwan, UAE, India, and South East Asia.

Ichimiya holds a Bachelor of Arts in Commerce from Waseda University.

David worked at Ernst & Young LLP as an audit assistant where he specialized in the audit of Not-For-Profit Organizations before joining AAIC.

At AAIC, he is an Associate in charge of commercial and financial due diligence.

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce specializing in Finance and Accounting from Strathmore University and has proceeded ACCA up to F9.

James has work experience in strategy and operations. Prior to AAIC, he worked for a B2B FMCG startup, Alerzo, supporting the company’s operations across Singapore, Nigeria and Uganda. At AAIC, he is an analyst working on value up for the 1st fund portfolio companies. He is also an associate consultant, supporting Japanese companies looking to venture into East Africa.

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree with a Major in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, and a Minor in Global Affairs from Yale-NUS College.

Ruth is an analyst and a data scientist at AAIC. Prior to joining AAIC, Ruth was a Data Scientist at an accelerator supporting early-stage tech start-ups in Africa where she was involved in the entire due diligence process and worked closely with tech founders. She started her career at Equity Bank Limited, the biggest financial provider in Kenya and East Africa, right after high school. Ruth has experience in creating processes, working with start-ups, research, and business analytics.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Ashesi University, Ghana and has completed accelerated courses in Data Science and Corporate Finance and Financial Modelling.

Jeslin is an associate in charge of fund management.

She has a working experience as an audit associate at audit firm and as a finance assistant at bank.

She is a graduate from Singapore Management of University, holding a Bachelor’s Degree in Accountancy

Dr. Amit N. Thakker is a high-level healthcare expert with 30+ years’ experience in health service delivery, health financing and health policy formulation. A visionary entrepreneur & an industry captain, Dr. Amit N. Thakker, has been a ground breaking pioneer in the integration of private sector within the health system in Africa. Dr. Amit has managed several health businesses in service delivery and insurance in African countries including Kenya, Ghana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and South Africa.

He is the Executive Chairman of Africa Health Business, President of Africa Healthcare Federation and serves as a Director with LumiraDx & Ghanima Limited. In his role as the Chairman of Africa Health Business, Dr. Amit plays an advisory role on various projects that are implemented by AHB. He has played an advisory role in the Grand Challenges Canada projects that AHB has been implementing in the area of capacity building of organisations.

Dr. Thakker has a Bachelor’s in medicine and surgery from the University of Nairobi, Kenya and an Executive MBA from the National Insurance Academy (NIA) in India. He has also completed a Health Leadership training from George Washington University, USA.

Mr Yoshiyuki Sato is a Senior Advisor (Africa Representative) of AAIC.

Mr Sato worked at a Japanese fiber company, Toray in Kenya from 1966 to 1970. In 1974, he established Kenya Nuts Company, and over 35 years he built it into Kenya’s largest nuts company.

The company’s main business is the manufacture, processing, and sale of macadamia nuts, and the production of chocolates, wine, and coffee, and has net sales of 50 million USD and more than 4,000 employees. In 2008, he established a public sanitation company in Rwanda utilizing the features of bacteria Organic Solutions Rwanda.
Mr Sato graduated from the Indian and Pakistani Languages Department at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies with a degree in Linguistics and studied at the University of Ghana.

Mr Tamagawa has started his career in the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Finance in 1981.

He has accumulated vast experience as the Director of Planning and Research Office for International Affairs, Financial Planning Bureau, Deputy Director of Monetary and Financial Systems Bureau, International Monetary Fund (IMF),
Director of International Affairs and Planning Division, NTA, Director of Sapporo Tax Bureau, Director of Budget Development Management System, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Deputy Head of Finance, Japan Tobacco Inc., Head of Asia Representative Office of African Development Bank (AfDB),
Previously served as director of the Kanto Shinetsu National Tax Appeals Office.
Currently a specially appointed professor and managing director of Kogakuin University.
Graduated from the University of Tokyo and obtained his Master of Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford.

Mr Hiroshi Ishino worked for Mitsubishi Corporation in the Middle East, China, Thailand, and other countries in the automobile business. He was in charge of sales and management of automobile and automobile parts manufacturing.

Mr Ishino joined Kansai Paint in 2003 and was appointed as a Deputy General Manager of the International Division in 2006. He has served as the Managing Director and General Manager of the International Division, Director and Senior Executive Officer. In 2013, he was appointed as President and Representative Director and proposed a strategy for Kansai Paint to become the world’s number one company in the paint industry through M & A and to expand sales in emerging countries, including Africa.

He has been an advisor for AAIC since April 2019.
Mr Ishino graduated from the University of Tokyo Faculty of Law in 1975 and holds an MBA from Wharton Business School in 1982.