Japan wants to combine forces with Africa to cobble up solutions to global challenges, an official said this week, underscoring the Asian giant's approach of treating the continent as an equal partner.
The call by a senior official comes as the world’s fourth biggest economy is hosting a TICAD Ministerial meeting in Tokyo. The meeting runs from August 23 to 26.
The Tokyo International Conference on African Development, abbreviated as TICAD, was established in 1993 and serves as Japan's primary initiative to foster development, peace, and security in Africa by enhancing multilateral cooperation and partnerships.
A Japanese Foreign Ministry official told journalists in an online meeting on Tuesday that his country sees Africa as an equal partner.
“Japan would like to co-create solutions together with Africa. We are facing common challenges. We need African insights to tackle common global challenges. Let’s co-create innovative solutions together,” the official said.
The TICAD Ministerial meeting covers three strategic pillars: society, peace and security and economy which ties in with Agenda 2063 and countries’ development priorities.
It was the first partnership by a non-African country with the continent. This has triggered a stampede as superpowers seek to deepen ties with the continent, endowed with primary resources for their growing industries.
Turkey, China, South Korea, Russia and the United States have escalated engagements with African countries and hold summits to deepen ties.
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The Japanese Foreign Ministry official said they are unnerved by the “race for Africa” as their spirit of listening and dialogue with African countries has been Japan’s comparative advantage and a bedrock of TICAD.
“Japan still has competitive advantage, especially noting the production as well as delivery of high quality goods and services. The high quality standard remains, even when the quantity of goods increases. Japan also has a competitive advantage in science, technology and innovation,” the official said.
This week’s Ministerial meeting is a forerunner to the ninth edition of TICAD, known as TICAD 9, to be held in Yokohama, Japan, in August next year.
The Japanese official said TICAD had opened doors for the Japanese private sector to invest in Africa. The last TICAD meeting in Japan recorded 80 memoranda of understanding between Africa and Japan, the official said.
Japan and Zimbabwe enjoy cordial relations. The Asian giant announced this week that it would offer humanitarian assistance to cover about 26 000 food-insecure households as Zimbabwe grapples with severe effects of the El Niño-induced drought.
Japanese ambassador to Zimbabwe Shinichi Yamanaka said the project aimed to deliver food assistance to around 26 000 vulnerable people, with funding totalling approximately US$1,4 million.
