Japan is currently developing programmes to implement the undertakings it made at the fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (Ticad V), held in Yokohama in June. The country is open to suggestions about how best to go about this. “Our approach to African countries is based on ownership and partnership,” explains Japan’s ambassador to South Africa, Yutaka Yoshizawa. “We try to respect the ideas of African countries. And we want to develop all kinds of partnerships, including public–private partnerships and partnerships involving several African countries.

“Ticad has been increasingly focused on economic development and, in that context, human resources development,” he notes. The motto for Ticad V was ‘Hand in Hand with a More Dynamic Africa’ and its central themes were a robust and sustainable economy, an inclusive and resilient society, and peace and stability. At the conference, Japan committed itself to supplying $14-billion in overseas development aid to Africa over the next five years (until Ticad VI) – with the Japanese private sector expected to add investments in the continent worth about $18-billion over the same period.

The more detailed commitments include $500-million in cofinancing between Japan’s Enhanced Private Sector Assistance for Africa programme and the African Development Bank, to assist the private sector in Africa, the provision of $6.5-billion in overseas development aid and Japan Bank for International Cooperation financing for infrastructural development on the continent, $2-billion in financial support for low carbon energy and $500-million for financial support for African health programmes.

In terms of skills development and capacity building, Japan will send investment promotion policy advisers to ten countries, train 300 people in 20 countries to operate one-stop border posts (to facilitate intra-African trade), develop the skills of 1 000 people in the natural resources industry and 700 in the tourism sector and provide capacity building for 30 000 people for business and industry.

In the agriculture sector, Japan will help cut deforestation in 34 countries, support the doubling of rice production in sub-Saharan Africa to 28-million tons under the continuing Coalition for African Rice Development programme, help transform subsistence farmers into commercial farmers in ten countries, build the capacity of 1 000 agricultural trainers and organise 50 000 people into smallholder cooperatives.

Regarding education and training, Tokyo launched the African Business Education Initiative, which will invite 1 000 Africans to Japan to study for master’s degrees or take up internships in Japanese companies. The Japan International Cooperation Agency will set up ten business and industry human resources development centres, which will cover 25 African countries. One of these centres will be at the Tshwane University of Technology, in Pretoria.
Ticad V also displayed an increasing concern with peace, stability, democracy and good governance in Africa. In a recent presentation to the Centre of Public Law Studies (VerLoren Van Themaat Centre) at the University of South Africa, Yoshizawa said: “Of course, peace and stability are also very important to African countries. We want to contribute to peace and stability and governance.” He cited the example of 300 Japan Self Defence Force engineering troops deployed in South Sudan.

Under Ticad V, Japan will provide anti- terrorist equipment and training for 2 000 personnel in North African and Sahel countries. Skills development will be provided to 5 000 people in the judiciary, security agencies, local governments and the media. There will be $1-billion in humanitarian and development aid to help stabilise the Sahel region. The capacities of coast guard forces in countries neighbouring Somalia will be reinforced, including by the transfer of patrol craft. And the Japan Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) – the country’s navy – and the Japan Coast Guard will continue counterpiracy activities in the north-east Indian Ocean. (Currently, the JMSDF deploys two destroyers and/or frigates, plus one or two P-3C Orion patrol aircraft, on this mission.)

Ticad is the oldest of the international forums linking Africa to major outside powers and was initiated 20 years ago, in 1993. Ticads are held every five years, and the latest edition was attended by the representatives of 51 African countries, 31 development partner and Asian countries as well as 72 representatives of international and regional organisations. The attendees included 37 heads of State and government, including South African President Jacob Zuma, on his first ever trip to Japan, and, of course, the host, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.