7th Japan-Africa development conference underway in Yokohama

The Seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) under the theme: “Africa and Yokohama, Sharing Passion for the Future” and focused on fostering economic development between Africa and Japan has kick-started Wednesday in Yokohama, Japan, with many African leaders in attendance.

The Tokyo International Conference of African Development (TICAD) is an initiative of the Government of Japan and is co-hosted by the UN, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), World Bank and African Union Commission (AUC); it was launched in 1993 “to promote high-level policy dialogue between African leaders and development partners.”

“The seventh meeting of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development is set to open in Yokohama on Wednesday amid an intensifying race between China and other countries to expand their presence in Africa’s rapidly growing economies,” reports the Japanese Times News.

The Seventh Tokyo International Conference of African Development (TICAD7) is focusing core issues relating to Africa’s development namely economic transformation and improvement in business environment and institutions, through private investment and innovation, as well as promotion of resilient and sustainable society for human security peace and stability support for Africa.

About 20 African leaders are attending the ongoing Seventh Tokyo International Conference of African Development (TCICAD7) including President Paul Kagame (Rwanda), Muhammadu Buhari (Nigeria), Cyril Ramaphosa (South Africa), and Abdul Fatten Al-Sisi, (Egypt) who is also the current President of the AU, amongst others.