With the declared aim of “creating a sustainable world together”, Japan will launch its aid conference for Africa on Saturday, where rival China has invested heavily in recent years.
The eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD8) takes place against the backdrop of China’s growing influence, cemented on the continent by its Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.
The meeting in Tunisia’s capital was surrounded by a “complex” international environment caused, among other things, by “the situation in Ukraine,” the Japanese foreign ministry said.
It is the first TICAD to be held every three years in either Japan or an African country since the pandemic began, and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will attend remotely after testing positive for Covid-19.
In his place, his Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi will lead the Japanese delegation, which is expected to be attended by around 5,000 participants.
Among them, 30 heads of state and government from across the continent will gather in the Tunisian capital.
Alongside the summit, business people will take part in a business conference, while various parallel events and workshops will focus on civil society and women’s inclusion.
Since its inception in 1993, the TICAD conferences, co-sponsored by the United Nations, the World Bank and the African Union, have spawned 26 development projects in 20 African countries, mostly funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
– An alternative to China –
In terms of “Accelerating Japanese Investments in Africa”, the conference will focus on three pillars: economics; Company; and Peace and Stability, according to the official presentation.
With more than $130 million in food aid already to be provided, Japan will also provide aid for “rice production and food security” amid the food crisis aggravated by the war in Ukraine.
Japanese business newspaper Nikkei reported that aid to Africa could increase by 40 percent over the next three years compared to 2020-2022.
This aid comes “in response” to other powers that have increased their presence in Africa, namely the United States, Europe and especially China, Nikkei said.
Responding to competition from China, a Japanese foreign ministry official said Tokyo’s “African diplomacy…can be boiled down to two words: ownership and partnership.”
“Japan has a 30-year history of engagement” in the continent through TICAD, he said.
“The key message we want to convey this time is that Japan wants to remain Africa’s partner.”
At the close of the last TICAD in 2019, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe – who was assassinated at a campaign rally last month – warned investors in Africa to beware of burdening countries with “excessive” debt, in an apparent jab at China .
– production center –
On the Tunisian side, authorities hope to benefit from holding the summit, given that Tunis is a two-hour flight from many major European capitals.
Tunisia hopes to attract Japanese investment domestically, particularly in the healthcare, automotive and renewable energy sectors.
More than 80 projects worth $2.7 billion are on the table, according to Hedi Abbes, head of the Tunisia-Japan Chamber of Commerce.
Those projects, which will be offered to Tunisian and other African private investors, are expected to create about 35,700 jobs, he said.
With its industrial capabilities, Tunisia hopes to become a center for manufacturing medicines and vaccines as some African countries lag far behind in vaccination efforts.
During a global Covid-19 summit in May, the Japanese prime minister stressed the importance of promoting “local manufacturing capacity for medicines and medical products, including vaccines.”
“To that end, we have decided to provide up to $200 million in support through JICA to enhance capabilities in Africa,” Kishida said.
#Japan #seeks #sustainable #world #Africa #Aid #Forum
