Time to elevate the cooperation between Africa and Japan
The Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9) opens today, 20 August, in Yokohama, Japan and will run until Friday. This summit-level meeting brings together a large number of African leaders, including President Cyril Ramaphosa, to discuss how Japan and Africa can work hand in hand to build a prosperous future.
TICAD — open, inclusive, pioneering
TICAD is more than an international conference; it is an ongoing process that embodies the ideas and partnerships forged within it. Some of its defining features are openness and inclusiveness. From its inception, TICAD has welcomed international organisations as well as business sectors and civil society. Now, Japan, the UN, the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank and the African Union Commission are co-organisers of TICAD. This reflects Japan's conviction that drawing on the expertise of diverse actors leads to richer dialogue and more effective contributions to Africa's development.
Another defining feature of TICAD is its pioneering nature. Japan launched this conference with Africa in 1993 — well ahead of other countries — at a time when the continent was marginalised from the international community. It was Japan that played a significant role in bringing global attention back to Africa. Since then, TICAD has evolved into a more powerful and efficient framework for supporting African development and achieving a co-prosperous relationship between Africa and Japan.
Throughout its long history, TICAD has witnessed some significant moments. At TICAD 6 in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2016, then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced the vision of a 'Free and Open Indo- Pacific'.
On stage, he said, 'Japan bears the responsibility of fostering the confluence of the Pacific and Indian Ocean and of Asia and Africa into a place that values freedom, rule of law and the market economy, free from force or coercion and making it prosperous. Japan wants to work together with you in Africa in order to make the seas that connect the two continents into peaceful seas that are governed by the rule of law.'
This marked the start of Japan's Free and Open Indo-Pacific vision, which has since been embraced by many countries.
TICAD 9 as a new chapter
TICAD has continuously evolved and TICAD 9 represents a new chapter. In its early years, TICAD mainly served as a forum to discuss African development, as its name suggests. During this early stage, Japan sought to create opportunities to assist the region and to draw the international community's attention back to Africa.
As Africa's development advanced and the continent came to be regarded as a powerful centre for growth, discussions expanded. In Japan, it was recognised that, in order to benefit from Africa's rising dynamism, it was crucial not only to provide support through Official Development Assistance (ODA) but also to expand business collaboration and promote trade and investment. African leaders also strongly called for robust business ties with Japan. Reflecting these voices,
TICAD adapted to be a platform for promoting trade, business ties and investment.
Now, TICAD 9 is expected to mark another turning point. Under the theme 'Co-create Innovative Solutions with Africa', the conference aims to elevate Africa-Japan cooperation to a new level. Building on Japan's continued support through ODA, as well as expanding trade and investment ties, TICAD 9 positions Africa and Japan as partners in shaping international governance and tackling global challenges together.
The continent is undoubtedly a thriving hub for global development, with abundant resources, knowledge and human potential. Today, about one quarter of UN member states are African and in the near future a quarter of the world's population — and a third of the global youth — is expected to live in Africa.
At the same time, Africa is among the most affected by climate change. Africa is in need of infrastructure development but has difficulty accessing finance.
Africa is among the under-represented in international organisations. It is time to harness Japan's political endeavours and 'Made in Japan' technologies and products to Africa's vitality and dynamism in order to tackle the pressing challenges and global problems we are facing.
Discussions at TICAD 9
TICAD 9 will focus discussions on three pillars — Economy, Peace and Stability and Society — alongside three cross-cutting topics: sustainable development led by the private sector; youth and women and regional integration and connectivity within Africa and beyond. The broad scope of these themes reflects Japan's commitment to working inclusively with Africa.
Discussions on the economy will emphasise the importance of building pathways to sustainable development and strengthening connectivity — both within Africa and with the wider world.
Unemployment remains one of the most pressing challenges. To tackle this, it is vital for Japan and Africa to work together to advance industrialisation and promote economic diversification through stronger industrial ecosystems.
In terms of innovation, Japan has developed a distinctive approach to supporting African countries by applying innovation in ways best suited to their own industries. For example, in South Africa, Japan has supported productivity enhancement through the Kaizen project, helping workers identify solutions to improve efficiency and output while incorporating AI and other technologies.
In this way, Japan has offered African countries a framework to establish their own approaches to innovation and problem-solving.
Guided by the principle that Africa must lead in resolving its own conflicts, the discussions on Peace and Stability will include good governance, conflict resolution and Women, Peace and Security. The discussions on Society will cover a broad range of Africa-Japan cooperation, including health, youth and women's empowerment, people-to-people exchanges, environmental protection and climate change.
In addition, as a country prone but resilient to natural disasters, Japan can offer its expertise in disaster prevention.
These three pillars will be the focus of the plenary sessions taking place today and tomorrow. In addition, a public-private business dialogue will take place. Furthermore, numerous thematic events are planned, featuring more than 200 seminars and symposiums, along with approximately 300 exhibition booths organised by various sectors including international organisations, private companies and NGOs. This reflects the growing interest and enthusiasm for deepening partnerships with Africa.
Elevating the South Africa-Japan partnership
President Ramaphosa and several ministers, as well as many South African businesspeople, will participate in various TICAD events. Although TICAD is a multi-lateral forum between Japan and the entire African region, it is also an important opportunity to strengthen the bilateral relationship between South Africa and Japan.
This year's TICAD 9 holds special significance as South Africa chairs the G20 and hosts the first G20 Summit on the African continent. It is crucial for South Africa and Japan to work closely together to link the success of TICAD 9 with that of the G20 and to jointly articulate a shared vision for Africa's future and reconfirm our will to collaborate to solve global challenges.
Reflecting this, a South Africa-Japan summit meeting between President Ramaphosa and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is scheduled to take place during TICAD 9.
While the two countries have already developed wide-ranging areas of cooperation, TICAD 9 will be a meaningful opportunity to further strengthen the relations, especially collaborations on decarbonisation. For Japanese companies here — about 250 in total — the South African market also serves as a gateway to the African continent. Strengthening business ties will therefore be mutually beneficial. Furthermore, exchanging views on the international situation will be essential for both countries as we work together in the international arena.
During the TICAD 9 period, we will see tangible outcomes, both governmental and business ones. It is expected that TICAD 9 will stand as a major milestone in strengthening the relationship between Africa and Japan as partners to co-create innovative solutions together to deal with global challenges. For South Africa and Japan in particular, the conference offers a significant opportunity to address a wide range of issues and to further elevate our friendship.
Fumio Shimizu is the Japanese ambassador to South Africa.
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