Yokohama, Japan: 30th August, 2019: The Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 7) Summit, hosted by the Government of Japan, and co-organized by the African Union Commission (AUC), the United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (UNOSSA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank began with consultations at the Senior Officials and Ministerial level on the 26th and 27th respectively, in preparation for Summit, which was held on the 28th to 30th August 2019.
The three-day Summit brought together African Union Heads of State and Government, Heads and Representatives of international organizations, African and Japanese private sector, civil society, academia, media, among others to discuss key thematic issues around science, technology and innovation, human resource development/education, health as well as agriculture, disaster risk reduction, climate change and blue economy.
Japan’s Prime Minister, Shinzō Abe emphasized Japan’s strong determination to continue working with Africa for a brighter future and urged the Japanese private sector to continue investing in Africa. The Prime Minister took the opportunity to unveil a new TICAD Initiative that will be driven by the double E’s of “Entrepreneurship” and “Enterprise” and the double I’s of “Investment” and “Innovation”, which will leverage science, technology, and innovation to unleash Africa's potentials under TICAD’s philosophy of ownership and partnership.
H.E. Mr. Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt and African Union (AU) Chairperson in turn, underscored the importance of Africa and Japan working together to realize Africa's legitimate aspirations as reflected in Agenda 2063. He singled out infrastructure in Africa, support to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and job creation for youth as key areas of focus to expedite Africa’s development. He further stressed the need to maintain the spirit of inclusiveness and ownership that has always prevailed in the TICAD process.
As for H.E. Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat, The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, in his address to delegates lauded the significant progress the TICAD process has made in the areas of economic transformation, resilient health systems, human development and agriculture, while taking note of the exceptional home-grown solutions to bridging the developmental gaps in the continent. The AU Chairperson mentioned progress made in the operationalization of AfCFTA, the signing of the peace accord agreement between Eritrea and Ethiopia and the African Union efforts to fighting Ebola in the affected countries as key examples of African solutions to African problems. “We are aware of the exceptional need for resource mobilization to fund the continent’s infrastructure and industrial development” the AUC chairperson said. He appealed for the inclusion of the aforementioned initiatives in the TICAD actions and called on the Japanese private sector to invest more in Africa, while calling for a joint implementation and a more robust follow-up mechanism.
The other Co-organizers, H.E. Mr António Guterres, UN Secretary General, H.E. Mr. Philippe Le Houerou, CEO, International Financial Corporation, Representative of the President of the World Bank and H.E. Mr. Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator noted the importance of linking TICAD goals with African Union priorities. The TICAD 7 Summit concluded with the adoption of the Yokohama Declaration, 2019 and the Action Plan Declaration, 2019. This year’s TICAD comes 26 years, after the first TICAD, which was organized in Tokyo, in 1993, under the theme “Advancing Africa’s Development through People, Technology and Innovation”, with the objective to strive to expand technological cooperation, boost business support and promote participation of women and enhance citizen exchange that activates and fosters the future
Note to Editor
Agenda 2063 is a strategic framework for the socio-economic transformation of the continent for next 50 years. It’s builds on, and seeks to accelerate the implementation of past and existing continental initiatives for growth and sustainable development. https://au.int/en/documents/20141012/key-documents-agenda2063
The Government of Japan launched TICAD in 1993, with the aim of promoting high-level policy dialogue between African leaders and development partners on issues facing Africa, such as economic development, poverty eluviation and conflict. Holding after was every five years until TICADV (2013). The hosting period was shortened to 3 years since TICAD VI (2016), during which it was held for the first time in Africa (Kenya, Nairobi).
Media Contact:
Janet Faith Adhiambo Ochieng / Communications Officer- Agenda 2063 / E-mail: ochiengj@africa-union.org
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@african-union.org I Website: www.au.africa I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia
For further information: Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I Email: DIC@african-union.org I Website: www.au.africa I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia
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