African development conference opens in Japan
Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru, African leaders and other representatives are attending the three-day Tokyo International Conference on African Development, or TICAD.
Ahead of its opening on Wednesday, Ishiba attended a forum organized by the publisher of the Nikkei newspaper. He pointed out that an economic zone spanning the Indian Ocean and Africa is attracting renewed attention as a region with a young population, abundant energy resources and high growth potential.
He vowed to help boost growth there by enhancing interregional connectivity and promoting trade and investment. To this end, he proposed an initiative to build an economic zone stretching from India through the Middle East to the African continent.
Following the TICAD opening ceremony, Ishiba delivered a keynote speech. He put forward a plan to help train personnel in artificial intelligence and other fields as part of Japan's efforts to advance cooperation with African countries.
Participants are expected to hold discussions later in the day on the theme of peace and stability, with a focus on the promotion of the rule of law and conflict prevention.
A statement called the Yokohama declaration will be adopted on Friday, the final day of the conference.
Ishiba is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with the leaders of more than 30 countries. He has already met with the representatives of Kenya, Liberia, and some other countries.
In these meetings, he aims to reinforce ties between Japan and African nations by offering transparent development projects, while keeping in mind that China and Russia are strengthening ties with Africa.
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