Keynote Address

by H.E. Moses Vilakati

Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Development during a TICAD 9 Side Event

Topic: Towards Sustainable Growth Strategies for Food Security and Youth Empowerment

Date: 20 August 2025

Time: 10:00-11:30am

Venue: 502 Conference Center, Pacifico Yokohama, Japan

Salutation

• Honourable Prime Minister of Japan,
• Distinguished Heads of State,
• Excellencies,
• Representatives of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation and the Sasakawa Africa Association,
• Esteemed Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Over the past 32 years, the TICAD process has stood as a cornerstone of Africa–Japan cooperation, providing a platform to advance sustainable development and mutual prosperity. TICAD9 comes at a critical juncture to reaffirm and refine our shared policy directions.

It is a great honour and privilege to address you today at this important TICAD9 Side Event. I bring warm greetings from the African Union Commission and express our deep appreciation to the Government of Japan, the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, and the Sasakawa Africa Association for their unwavering commitment to Africa’s transformation journey especially in agricultural development, youth empowerment, and food system resilience.

Africa stands at a defining moment. With a population projected to surpass 2.5 billion by 2050, the continent’s food systems are under increasing pressure. Climate change, soil degradation, limited access to technology, and volatile global markets continue to threaten food security and economic stability across the region. Despite these challenges, Africa holds immense potential. With over 60% of the world’s arable uncultivated land, abundant water resources, a dynamic youth population, and an expanding digital ecosystem, the continent has the tools to achieve sustainable agricultural transformation if we act decisively and in partnership.

Sustainable growth for food security and youth empowerment must be rooted in four key strategies:

Transforming Agriculture into a Youth-Centric Sector

Africa’s greatest asset is its youth—more than 400 million strong. Yet, too many remain unemployed or underemployed. We must make Agriculture a viable, innovative, and rewarding career path. We must invest in agripreneurship, smart farming technologies, and access to finance. Initiatives such as e-extension services, digital marketplaces, and mechanization support schemes can catalyze a new generation of empowered agri-leaders.

Leveraging the Blue Economy for Inclusive Growth:

Collaboration with Japan can further expand sustainable fisheries, aquaculture R&D, and maritime infrastructure, and we can explore the establishment of an Africa–Japan Blue Innovation Fund to accelerate investment and innovation. Our continent is bordered by vast oceans and enriched by lakes, rivers, and inland waterways—yet the Blue Economy remains largely untapped. By integrating sustainable fisheries, aquaculture, marine biotechnology, and coastal tourism into national food and economic planning, we can create millions of jobs and enhance food supply diversity. The AU’s Blue Economy Strategy (2019-2029) provides the policy backbone to unlock this sector’s full potential.

Building Resilient Local Food Systems:

This aligns with the Eminent Persons Meeting’s call to mainstream food and nutrition security as a core policy goal, ensuring availability, accessibility, affordability, and sustainability.

We must support smallholder farmers, especially women, with infrastructure, climate-smart inputs, post-harvest technologies, and inclusive market access. Prioritizing local agro-processing and rural enterprise development are pivotal to create value and jobs in rural communities.

Fostering Inclusive Public-Private Partnerships

In doing so, we embrace the recommendation to adopt holistic and integrated approaches that consider socio-economic, environmental, and climate realities. Japan’s enduring support through TICAD and its partnerships with African nations exemplify the type of shared responsibility and co-investment required for durable progress. We encourage greater co-development of research and innovation hubs, joint ventures in agro-industrial parks, and structured skills exchange programmes for youth and women.

Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen

We must institutionalize multi-faceted dialogues that include civil society, private sector, academia, and philanthropic organizations, as well as commit to regular monitoring and evaluation of our partnerships to ensure accountability and effectiveness.

The African Union is committed to working with all partners to implement Agenda 2063, the Malabo Declaration, and our Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) to ensure no one is left behind.

We count on Japan and on institutions like the Sasakawa Peace Foundation and Sasakawa Africa Association to continue walking this journey with us, empowering our youth and ensuring food sovereignty for every African child.

In Conclusion, Let TICAD9 be remembered as more than a conference, let it be the turning point when Africa and Japan moved from shared vision to shared action a moment when Africa and Japan recommitted to building a future where food is abundant, youth are engaged, and growth is green and sustainable.

I thank you.

Asante Sana.

Arigatou Gozaimasu.