Japan PM to propose economic zone initiative for Africa amid China's clout
In a speech to open the three-day Tokyo International Conference on African Development, the ninth of its kind, Ishiba will also announce the launch of a framework to be joined by governments, industries and academia to promote free trade in Africa and vow to support human resources development in artificial intelligence, according to government sources.
Leaders and representatives from about 50 African nations and officials from international organizations will gather in the port city of Yokohama near Tokyo to focus on three agendas -- peace and stability, economic issues, and social issues such as health, climate change and youth exchanges, according to Japanese officials.
Under the proposed "Indian Ocean and Africa economic zone initiative," Japanese firms, which already have footholds in India and the Middle East, are expected to work together to expand trade and investment in Africa, the sources said.
On human resource development, Japan will pledge to cultivate 30,000 AI experts over the next three years to promote industrial digitalization and job creation, they said.
An outcome document dubbed the "Yokohama Declaration" is expected to be adopted on the final day, while Ishiba and Angolan President Joao Lourenco will attend a joint press conference as the meeting's co-chairs.
TICAD is a Japan-hosted international aid conference that dates back to 1993 and was last held in Tunisia in 2022. China has also been holding a forum on African cooperation since 2000 and has been increasing involvement in the resource-rich continent, including through its Belt and Road infrastructure projects.
The event is also taking place as U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs as well as his policy to dismantle America's foreign-aid program casts a shadow over the African economy.
Ishiba, who took office in October, is scheduled to hold a series of bilateral summits with his African counterparts on the fringes of the international conference.
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