Kenya hosts Japan-sponsored conf. on growth in Africa

By Magdalene Mukami and Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya

This weekend’s conference for African leaders and international partners offers an opportunity for high-level policy dialogue to speed up the continent’s development, said Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta Friday.

“[The Tokyo International Conference on African Development or TICAD] has been a key forum for informed discussion of African development between Africa, Japan, as well as other partners,” said Kenyatta at State House Nairobi, alongside Shinzo Abe, the prime minister of the meeting’s co-host, Japan.

“It has matured into a first-class multilateral forum attracting leaders in business and industry as well as government and civil society.”

On the two-day meeting being held for the first time this year in Africa, rather than Tokyo, Kenyatta said, “Tomorrow we will be welcoming many heads of state and thousands of delegates. TICAD has finally come home, and it is about time.”

The first five TICADs were held in 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008, and 2013, all in Tokyo.

Accompanied by his wife Akie Abe, the Japanese prime minister received a 19-gun salute at State House before inspecting a Kenyan Air Force honor guard.

Kenyatta called on the Japanese government to ensure that young Africans benefit the most from the meeting, adding that TICAD VI will not only strengthen ties between Africa and Japan but also between African nations themselves.

For his part, Abe said he believes the meeting will help Japan contribute to top-notch technology as well as human resource development.

“I do believe that the key to economic growth is industrialization as well. We have some challenges here that we have to solve. Together Japan and Africa will be able to commit in resolving these challenges,” he said.

-75 top Japanese companies

More than 20 heads of state are expected to land in Kenya later Friday for the TICAD VI official opening. Organizers say that over 10,000 delegates have registered to participate in the conference at Nairobi’s Kenyatta International Conference Center.

He said that he had come with a delegation of about 1,000 businesspeople from Japan’s top 75 companies, all of whom have a strong interest in Africa’s growth, including the chairman of the Japan Business Federation, Sadayuki Sakakibara.

“Japan will contribute to the growth and development of Africa through joint efforts between the governments and the private sector.”

Abe’s visit marks the first visit to Kenya by a Japanese prime minister in 15 years.

According to Kenyatta and Abe, the conference will mainly focus on diversification, growth, and development, technology, the resilience of African health systems, and environmental issues.