TICAD Conference In Tunisia
Japan promised today, Saturday, to pump 30 billion dollars for development in Africa over the next three years, during the opening of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), which started today, Saturday, in Tunisia.
In his speech opening the conference delivered via video link, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that his country will provide 130 million dollars for food security and 300 million dollars as food aid through joint financing with the African Development Bank.
Kishida had intended to attend the conference, but he was unable to do so due to his infection with the coronavirus (Covid-19).
Kishida stressed that Japan will grow with Africa, making Tokyo's approach different from that of China, which critics say is burdening poor countries with huge debts linked to infrastructure projects, according to Japan's Kyodo News Agency.
The prime minister added that Japan will, in particular, provide loans amounting to about $5 billion in coordination with the African Development Bank to promote sustainable African development by restoring financial health.
Kishida added that Japan will invest nearly $4 billion to support Africa to achieve green growth through decarbonization, help Africa boost food production capacity, and train people in the agricultural sector as part of addressing the food crisis exacerbated by the Russian war in Ukraine.
It is expected that 30 heads of state and government will participate in the eighth edition of the symposium, which will be held today, Saturday, and tomorrow, in the capital Tunis, which is also seeking to benefit from the economic opportunities offered by a partnership with Japan and the rest of the countries of the continent within bilateral and multilateral programs.
Japanese media estimated that the event would be a "response" from Tokyo to the United States, Europe, and its most prominent competitor, China, which is working hard to consolidate its presence in Africa, especially through infrastructure projects within the framework of its "Belt and Road" initiative.
The current edition of the conference aims to "discuss how to create a sustainable world together" in the "complex context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the situation in Ukraine".
Japan is betting on strengthening its partnerships with African countries based on its "strengths represented in growth coupled with quality and focus on people," according to what its Ministry of Foreign Affairs states in its presentation of the symposium on its website.
Tunisia is the second African country to host the TICAD conference, after Kenya in 2016, and the government of Japan that organized the TICAD summit in its first edition in 1993.
