Japan’s pledge to invest in Africa comes just months after China promised double the amount of African investments that Japan has pledged.
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“Japan is a country that ardently hopes to resolve the issues facing Africa and it will not let up in its efforts”, the Prime Minister added.
Announcing the plan at the two-day conference that brought together more than 20 African heads of states, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe promised to focus on key economic areas that will benefit the African continent.
Accompanied by approximately 200 officials from more than 70 Japanese countries, the trip marked Abe’s first official visit to the continent in over 15 years, proving that Africa was a valuable asset to the eastern nation.
Despite being overshadowed by China, Japan interest in the continent has been on an increase since 2011, when the Fukushima nuclear disaster triggered by 9.0 magnitude quake destroyed the nation’s nuclear reactors, leading to dependence on oil and natural gas imports.
In 2015, China, Africa’s largest trading partner, recorded total trade in Africa worth approximately $179bn, while Japanese trade with the continent stood at $24bn.
African countries firmly opposed politicising of the TICAD and discussing Asian problems in Africa, and they firmly opposed Japan’s intention of imposing its own will on Africa, the spokesperson claimed.
Sierra Leone’s Vice President, Dr. Victor Bockarie Foh on Friday 26th August, arrived in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, representing His Excellency, President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma at the Sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), presently taking place at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi, Kenya.
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Addressing attendees at the conference, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said that Japan continued to be a valuable force across the continent while remaining diplomatic and fair.
