Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba proposed the “Indian Ocean Economic Area-Africa Initiative” as a single economic area in cooperation with the Middle East, alongside a pledge with the African Development Bank to provide concessional loans of up to US$5.5 billion for infrastructure development and other projects on the African continent.
This came at the opening of the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9) on Wednesday, hosted by the Japanese government in the presence of Egypt’s Prime Minister, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and a number of African leaders.
The conference was held under the theme “Cooperation in Finding Innovative Solutions to Problems.”
Ishiba noted that for Africa to achieve further growth, “It is essential to enhance regional integration and interconnectivity that transcend national borders.”
He announced the formation of a new study committee comprising representatives from industry, academia, and government, with the aim of strengthening economic cooperation between Japan and Africa.
He also expressed his desire to accelerate the development of the Nacala Corridor, a logistics network extending from Africa’s interior to the Indian Ocean.
He confirmed that impactful investments of $1.5 billion will be implemented, allocated to combating climate change and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises.
He also pledged to train 300,000 people over the next three years, including 30,000 in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) field, to empower youth and women and provide them with job opportunities.
He also pledged to improve the level of education for 10 million children and contribute up to $550 million over five years.
Ishiba added that the TICAD conference, being held for the first time in Japan in six years, relies on engagement with the international community.
Tokyo believes in the future of Africa, with whom it has a relationship dating back to the sixteenth century.
His own relationship with Africa dates back to 2000, during his visit to Senegal, back when he served as Deputy Minister of Agriculture.
He pointed out that TICAD carries with it a shared creativity in seeking solutions through sustainable growth, employing youth and women, utilizing regional integration and interconnectedness, as well as benefiting from AI and satellite data to find solutions to pressing issues.
He continued: “We ask Africa to cooperate in solving the issues facing Japan, which are represented by the decline in population in rural areas, agricultural areas have also decreased.”
To solve these troubles, Africa must be leveraged, he noted, referring to the presence of African youth in some regions.
He noted that Japan imports platinum and copper used in electric cars.
The President of Angola and Chairman of the African Union, João Lourenço, said that Japan is an inspiring role-model of a vibrant country that has constantly risen from disaster and is an example for African countries targeting development.
Africa still faces challenges that hinder its economic growth, especially following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, which constituted an unprecedented test and hindered development plans at the local and continental levels.
Noting that the issue of poverty is one of the major problems and there is no room for isolation and everyone must work together to promote peace, security and development, he said: “Japan will remain a reliable partner for Africa and Angola has benefited from the partnership with concessional financing from Japan, which is an approach different from other creditors.”
He continued: “The Middle East is experiencing the Gaza tragedy, and what the Palestinian people are being subjected to is an open embarrassment to the conscience of humanity, and the international community is still standing by, not watching.”
“The Security Council is in need of reform.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that Africa has the human resources to qualify it for progress, despite the fact that there is a lot of inequality in these countries.
The initiative must be “with Africa, not for Africa,” he said, and Africa’s voice must be stronger than before.
He added that efforts must be made to resolve the debt problem, as African countries spend a lot of their money paying off debts.
He further noted that significant investments are needed to create job opportunities, especially in the digital environment, and that Japan can empower countries to keep pace with global progress, in addition to strengthening artificial intelligence.
“It must mean inclusion of Africa and that African youth are responsible for building their countries in artificial intelligence and sports through the participation of women,” he said.
The UN Secretary-General emphasized that without peace, there can be no progress and prosperity.
