The seventh iteration of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) just ended in Yokohoma Japan. The conference started on the 28th of August 2019 and ended on the 30th of August 2019. The headcount for heads of state, government representatives, and personnel from civil societies, private sector, international, regional, and non-governmental organizations was over 4500.
TICAD is a platform for discussing important issues related to Africa’s development, and a process that allows all TICAD partners — African Union Member States, Japan, co-organizers and other development partners, private sector and civil society — to come together for the further development of the continent.
The theme of this year’s convening is “Advancing Africa’s Development through People, Technology and Innovation.” This year the focus was shifted to the contributions that human resource can make towards the development of the African continent. According to the Yokohoma Declaration, this year’s theme is “fully aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union Agenda 2063, as well as the continental priorities for integration, as reflected in its flagship programs.”
The TICAD programme was founded on three pillars and they are quite straightforward:
- Accelerating economic transformation and improving business environment through innovation and private sector engagement.
- Deepening sustainable and resilient society.
- Strengthening peace and stability.
By employing over 25 years of multilateral experience TICAD is shaping up to strategically reflect and respond to the rapidly changing global environment and the dynamic development landscape in Africa.
Although TICAD has multiple partners at different levels, the main players are the Government of Japan and the African Union and ultimately the programme seeks to achieve high levels of partnership between Japan and Africa. In line with this motive the Government of Japan has outlined its contributions as follows:
Positioning African business at the center of TICAD
In this regard, TICAD aims to achieve over 20 billion USD of private investment as Japan continues to contribute immensely to the improvement of the business environment in Africa. Japan will also support economic transformation in Africa through the promotion of the Japanese private sector’s advancement into Africa and innovation. This agenda will be achieved via the following:
- Develop industrial human resources.
- Promote innovation and investment
- Invest in quality infrastructure to enhance connectivity
- Ensure debt sustainability
- Diversify industries
Supporting Africa’s own initiatives
Japan also aims to support Africa’s forward-looking initiatives toward peace and stability which are the preconditions for economic growth and investment as well as betterment of livelihood, through New Approach for Peace and Stability in Africa (NAPSA). Japan will particularly focus on steady and long-term human resource development. This agenda will be achieved via the following:
- Build stable and reliable institutions and enhance governance
- Support initiatives led by Africa toward stabilization of conflict areas
- Provide humanitarian assistance to refuges, internally displaced persons, youth and others.
Achieving Human Security and Sustainable Development Goals
To achieve this, Japan will contribute to building resilient and sustainable society to realize human security and sustainable development goals which is a foundation of betterment of livelihood and economic growth. This agenda will be achieved via the following:
- Promote and improve the state of health care services on the African continent.
- Build disaster resilient societies
- Provide quality education
- Share the value of sport towards Tokyo 2020
- Ensure sustainable urban development
The following is the complete list of African Leaders that attended the TICAD event in Yokohoma Japan.
Presidents:
- Faustin Archange Touadera, Central African Republic
- Azali Assoumani, Comoros
- Danny Faure, Seychelles
- Alpha Conde, Guinea
- Patrice Talon, Benin
- Julius Maada Bio, Sierra Leone
- Andry Rajoelina, Madagascar
- Ismail Omar Guelleh, Djibouti
- Joao Lourenco, Angola
- Hage Geingob, Namibia
- George Weah, Liberia
- Felix Tshisekedi, Democratic, Republic of Congo
- Uhuru Kenyatta, Kenya
- Yoweri Museveni, Uganda
- Abdul Fatten Al-Sisi, Egypt and current African Union president
- Paul Kagame, Rwanda
- Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, Somalia
- Emmerson Mnangagwa, Zimbabwe
- Faure Gnassingbe, Togo
- Mahamadou Issoufou, Niger
- Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Ghana
- Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria
- Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa
- Ibrahim Boubakar Keita, Mali
- Edgar Lungu, Zambia
- Macky Sall, Senegal
Non-Presidents:
- Thomas Thabane, Lesotho Prime Minister
- Everton Herbert Chimulirenji, Malawi Vice-President
- Isatou Touray, Gambian Vice-President
- Amadou Gon Coulibaly, Prime Minister of Ivory Coast
- Osman Saleh, Foreign Minister of Eritrea
- Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopian Prime Minister
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