Japan on Wednesday convened African leaders in Yokohama for the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), seeking to reinforce its role as a trusted development partner at a time many African nations are battling severe debt and economic stress.
Among the dignitaries were Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa, Kenya’s William Ruto, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The three-day summit is expected to chart pathways for investment, digital transformation, and trade between Africa and Japan.
In a statement, Ramaphosa’s office cautioned that, “The debt and liquidity crisis on the African continent is worsening the challenging socio-economic environment and constraining the fiscal space for governments to cast a safety net over its citizens.”
For over a decade, China has been Africa’s largest lender, investing billions in railways, ports, and infrastructure projects under the Belt and Road Initiative. However, new Chinese lending has slowed considerably, leaving African nations grappling with what analysts describe as a “tidal wave” of debt to Beijing and international private creditors.
At the same time, Western aid flows have declined, especially after the dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) during Donald Trump’s presidency.
okay.ng reports that discussions at TICAD will spotlight potential free-trade agreements, loan guarantees, and incentives to strengthen Japanese private sector participation in Africa. Yet Japan’s biggest business lobby, Keidanren, has urged Tokyo to go beyond promises. “By actively contributing to solving the social issues faced by countries in the Global South, Japan must be chosen as a trustworthy partner,” it stated.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba underscored the importance of Africa’s youthful population and vast natural resources. “We will be discussing how we may leverage these human and material resources as a source of vitality and connect them to Japan’s growth and the prosperity of the world,” Ishiba said, stressing that trust must guide Japan’s engagements.
He also unveiled plans for an “economic zone” spanning Africa and the Indian Ocean region, alongside a pledge to cultivate 30,000 artificial intelligence experts within three years to promote digitalisation and job creation across industries.
