“Let us advance together, Africa and Japan, sharing a common vision”, Abe said.
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Motorcycles providing practical and efficient transportation for vaccines and other items helping to improve African health and hygiene were also demonstrated at the fair, which was hosted by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Japan External Trade Organization.
According to the release, during TICAD’s fifth summit in 2013, Japan made a commitment to provide financial support amounting to $2 billion to promote low-carbon energy in Africa over five years.
As the Tokyo International Conference on African Development TICAD wraps up today, emphasis has been placed on the need to strengthen the partnership between Japan and Africa.
Japan, which invested $47 billion on the continent over the past 23 years, wants to connect Africa and Asia through sea lanes, Abe said.
The meeting, hosted at the International Conference Center in Nairobi, is held for the first time in Africa since TICAD process was created in 1993.
The prime minister resolved to work toward investment and tax treaties with African nations to open the path for more Japanese businesses, while asking African leaders to develop a safe business environment and ease regulation to eliminate excessive market barriers.
While speaking in front of the heads of 34 African nations, Abe said about $10 billion of the investment would go toward electricity-generation projects and upgrading urban transport systems and ports. The US, on the hand, said it would give US$14 billion at the US-Africa Leaders Summit in 2014.
Spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a daily news briefing that the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), held in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on Sunday, should be a multilateral platform for exchanges and cooperation with the aim of supporting African development.
Japan has a sense of rivalry with China, which has provided large-sized assistance.
According to Japan External Trade Organization, Japan’s direct investment in trade with Africa was $1.24 billion, past year which was a drop from the $1.5 billion made in 2014.
“Development is not something that will happen to Africa, it is Africans themselves who will win the freedom and prosperity they deserve”.
“The key to economic growth is industrialisation”, he said.
However, Japan’s pledge at this year’s TICAD shows that the Japanese Government is also willing to put its money where its mouth is in order to boost its soft power in Africa.
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There is also the growing threat from radical Islamist groupings, such as the Nigeria’s Boko Haram Islamists as well as the Shabaab group – which is active in Kenya.
