President Buhari who advised the African countries to learn from Japan on developing agriculture said, “This year, in Nigeria, we started an aggressive farming programme that entails organising farmers into cooperatives in the second and third tier of government”.
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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, center, speaks during the opening of Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi, Kenya, Aug. 27, 2016.
The financial aid will be committed in partnership with the African Development Bank (AfDB) and comes three years after a $32 billion aid by the Asian economic powerhouse pledged to Africa during the fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD).
Seijiro Takeshita, an economist and professor at the University of Shizuoka, said the political reasoning behind Japan’s decision was to secure itself on worldwide and regional fronts.
The private-sector aid is in line with the government’s policy of promoting Japanese-style assistance that helps develop quality infrastructure in Africa while paying close attention to environmental protection and human resources development, in an attempt to counter China, which has expanded its influence in the region with large-scale financial support.
“We resolve to promote social stability by responding comprehensively to security concerns”. Japan has repeatedly called for the rule of law and opposed the use of force or coercion in maintaining maritime security.
“Japan wants to be a permanent member of the UN Security Council and they would want to get more people agreeing to this agenda”, Takeshita told Al Jazeera.
Japan will also provide a concessional loan to the Olkaria geothermal project, operated by state-run Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen), the two leaders added.
On terrorism, the declaration said, “We strongly condemn terrorism in all forms and manifestations, wherever and by whomever committed.We call for enhanced global cooperation in strengthening counterterrorism capacity in Africa”.
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Abe also announced the launching of the Japan-Africa economic forum, adding that Japanese government officials and top business leaders will be visiting the continent every three years.
