- Japan opened its eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD8) on 27th August in Tunisia. Held every three years alternately in Japan and an African country, this is the first one after the COVID -19 Pandemic.
Japan opened its eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD8) on 27th August in Tunisia. Held every three years alternately in Japan and an African country, this is the first one after the COVID -19 Pandemic. The focus of the conference will be economy; society; and peace and stability.
TICAD conferences, held since 1993 is also backed by the United Nations and other international agencies. So far TICAD has generated 26 development projects in 20 African countries. The majority of the projects are funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Japan has pledged $30bn in aid for development in Africa and has stated its intention to work more closely with the continent. The commitment comes at a time when the international order is threatened by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Addressing the summit in Tunisia, by video link after testing positive for COVID-19, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida promised that Tokyo would ensure grain shipments to Africa to tide over the food crisis. He added that the $30bn Japanese aid would be dispersed over three years, including sums for food security in coordination with the African Development Bank.
The Japanese delegation was led by Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, with about 5,000 participants set to attend. Some 30 heads of state and government are expected to attend the event in the capital Tunis. Tunisia hopes to benefit from hosting the conference by attracting Japanese investment, particularly in the health, automotive and renewable energy sectors.
The conference triggered another dispute between Tunisia and Morocco. Morocco withdrew from the event and recalled its ambassador from Tunisia for consultations after Tunisia’s President Kais Saied hosted the head of Western Sahara’s Polisario independence movement.
Also read;
https://trendsnafrica.com/japan-overtakes-china-as-the-top-lender-to-kenya-in-the-last-two-years/
https://trendsnafrica.com/tunisias-economy-in-a-dire-state-imf-official/
