• Your Excellency Yoko KAMIKAWA, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan;

• Your Excellency, Mohamed Salem Ould MERZOUG, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, and Mauritanians abroad of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Chairperson of the African Union Executive Council;

• Excellencies, Ministers from the African Union Member States;

• Excellencies, Head of Delegations of the TICAD Co-Organizers;

• Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen;

I would like to extend my sincere thanks and gratitude, on behalf of H.E Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission and myself, to Her ExcellencyYoko KAMIKAWA, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, the Government and people of Japan for their generous hospitality in hosting us today. 

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank and congratulate the coorganizers for their efforts in preparing for this meeting.

Our meeting is taking place at a critical juncture, characterized by the resurgence of increasing threat to global peace and security, climate change, confrontation among superpowers rather than cooperation, as well as the widening gap between advanced and developing economies. 

Despite this complex reality, Africa is one of the world’s fastest growing economies and offers greater opportunities for investment with guaranteed returns, as at the same time it contributes sustainable solutions to the challenges the world is facing. 

Through its vision, Agenda 2063, the African Union aspires to attain an integrated, peaceful, and prosperous Continent, whose development is people-centred and people-driven. It also aspires to play its role on a global scene.

It is in line with this concept that there needs to be a realignment of efforts by Japan towards delivering tangible and expected results that would impact positively on the African population.

The African Union and Japan dream to form a closer working relationship, through greater dialogue, coordination, elimination of bottlenecks and increase in support of AU programs and activities. This will enable both sides transform the essence of their political dialogue to a focused and tangible direction towards addressing the needs of Africa in line with the African Union Agenda 2063 and its Second Ten Year Implementation Plan.

Therefore, holding a Ministerial Meeting, such as the one we are witnessing today, constitutes a unique opportunity to send a strong message to the world that there is no alternative other than dialogue and international cooperation among Peoples and Nations if the only objective is to find lasting solutions to the challenges of modern times. 

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen.

The TICAD process was formed to ensure that Africa is not marginalised in the discourse of its development. The TICAD process needs to be rightly positioned and recalibrated to address the fiscal and debt issue that Africa is currently plagued with. The TICAD process needs to evolve to have a very strong sense of co-creation, and a good blend of African ownership and international partnerships that proffer innovative solutions and access to means and resources to tackle Africa’s challenges. 

In this regard and as we call for more investments in Africa from Japanese corporate companies, businesses and other actors, it is equally important to highlight the need for the TICAD process to reflect on its own mechanisms and instruments to be result-oriented with a more pragmatic approach that will ensure a sustainable win-win partnership.

It is therefore timely for me to congratulate the TICAD process and its organizers, especially Japan, for all the efforts made in this multilateral initiative, which is certainly difficult to manage, but which represents a model in itself, for its substantial contribution to the development of the continent.

The African Union Commission remains, in this regard, fully committed to the progress of the TICAD process.

I wish everyone frank and fruitful deliberations.

Thank you.