Atsushi Yamanaka is a Senior Advisor for Digital Transformation at the Office of Science, Technology, and Innovation & Digital Transformation (STI/DX) at JICA. With over 30 years of global experience in ICT for development, he has led and supported numerous initiatives aimed at leveraging digital technologies to enhance development outcomes.

His current portfolio includes JICA-supported projects in Digital Transformation and Space for Development across various regions and sectors. His support includes facilitating Global South to utilize satellite data, geospatial intelligence, and space applications to address pressing development challenges—ranging from climate resilience and disaster risk reduction to agricultural innovation among the others.

Prior to this role, Atsushi worked with multiple UN agencies, private sector organizations, and civil societies, contributing to improved business processes and development results in over 100 countries.

Atsushi spent more than a decade in Rwanda, serving as a Senior Advisor to the Government which include leading JICA’s technical cooperation project for four years. His work focused on leveraging ICT for development, private sector growth, and strengthening innovation ecosystems.

In addition to his role at JICA, Atsushi is a Professor and Advisor at the Kobe Institute of Computing Graduate School (KIC), Japan’s only professional graduate school dedicated to fostering global ICT/Digital for Development practitioners.