Role of private sector in Africa's growth to dominate meeting

President Uhuru Kenyatta,Deputy president William Ruto (left) Japan ambassador to kenya Toshitsugu Uesawa (3rdleft) and Principal Secretary Ministry of Transport and infrastructure John Mosonik(right) after the Inauguration of the ground breaking ceremony for the project for Dualling of Ngong Road on 24TH AUGUST 2016. PHOTO: DAVID GICHURU

President Uhuru Kenyatta is among speakers at the latest international trade meeting in Nairobi.

And the role of the private sector in Africa's development is expected to dominate the talks.

Other speakers at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI) that starts this weekend include World Bank President Jim Yong Kim and Japanese Prime Minister Shinz? Abe.

African Development Bank Group President, Akinwumi Adesina, is also expected to address the 10,000 delegates at the meeting that will also discuss how the private sector can help enhance access to universal healthcare in Africa.

The contentious issue of climate change and its effects as well as food security are also top on the agenda.

TICAD is an advocacy platform meant to help mobilise humanitarian aid and Official Development Assistance (ODA) for Africa. It is a partnership between Africa and Japan.

Up to 37 heads of State and Governments are expected in Nairobi this weekend for the meeting. The conference is also set boost Nairobi's profile as a hub for conference tourism in Africa and world.

Launched in 1993, TICAD seeks to promote political dialogue among African leaders and their international development partners to enhance peace and prosperity.

President Kenyatta has assured visitors the government had taken all the necessary security measures to ensure their safety.

"TICAD VI will afford the heads of State and Government from the continent an opportunity to monitor progress in implementing previous TICAD agreements whose letter and spirit remains to speed up growth and development of Africa," President Kenyatta said in his welcome remarks posted on the conference's website.

He added: "I am especially delighted that hosting the meeting in Nairobi and other African capitals in future, as will be agreed, will strengthen the need for Africa to own TICAD as well as the continent's destiny and development."

African countries

Kenyatta noted Kenya is among the first African countries to benefit from Japan's friendship with Africa.

"Ours is a relationship that goes back to the 1920s when Japan opened its first consulate in Mombasa in 1932," said the President.

To date, there are 16 ongoing projects in Kenya that are funded by the Government of Japan.

Most of Kenya's imports are from Japan, followed by China and India. Japan has also increased its development aid to Africa in the recent years and is currently standing at over Sh32 trillion ($32 billion).

Kenyatta noted Kenya is a major recipient of Japanese aid in Sub-Saharan Africa, which to date stands at approximated 549 billion Japanese Yen (Sh445 billion).

The conference to be held at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre between August 27 and 28 hopes to attract more than 30 African heads of state.

Other speakers include the Executive Vice President and CEO of the International Finance Corporation Philippe H. Le Houérou, the chairman and CEO of Japan External Trade Organisation Hiroyuki Ishige and Keiko Honda, the Executive Vice President and CEO of Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency.

The African Union Commission chairperson Dlamini Zuma has also been lined up as a speaker at the meeting.

The conference, previously held in Tokyo, Japan, was attended by nearly all African heads of state and government.

Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed said the conference has become a major platform for co-operation between Japan and Africa and the mutually beneficial friendship that currently prevails between them.

The conference is also expected to boost the battered tourism sector ahead of the peak season.

Kenya's tourism industry has been struggling to recover from a four-year slug it slipped into following following terrorist attacks that saw western powers slap the country with travel advisories.

However, the country has managed to contain the Al Shabaab terrorists who increased their attacks in the country after Kenya Defence Forces' incursion into Somalia, their base.