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NAIROBI, KENYA: The Royal African Society (RAS) in association with the government of Japan has held talks to brainstorm on the key agendas to be discussed in Nairobi next month.
The event, titled 'Japan and Africa: A new kind of relationship?' took place in London with also a focus on the steps being taken by African continent to move from aid to becoming self-reliant.
The gathering served as part of the pre-cursor to the 6th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI), which will be held in Kenya from August 27 to 28 .This will be the first ever TICAD summit to be held in Africa.
The event featured Prof Akihiko Tanaka of University of Tokyo who is also former President of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Speaking ahead of the event, Prof Tanaka said that he remains confident that African countries will become invaluable to Japan in the coming decades, as growing business partners with huge market potential.
"Throughout the period since Japan started the TICAD process in 1993, Japan has consistently worked closely with the governments and peoples of Africa for sustainable and inclusive development," he said.
According to Chief Finance Officer and Vice President of the African Development Bank Charles Boamah, the event will offer good opportunity to cement discussions on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Climate Change.
"TICAD VI is happening in less than a year after important global agreements on SDGs and Climate Change. Arguably the greatest opportunities for positive actions to meet these global targets are in Africa, which is why deeper and innovative relationships with development partners such as Japan will be critical," said Boamah.
Since the last TICAD forum in 2013, Africa has witnessed changes in developmental areas such as decline in prices of primary commodities.
Nairobi's conference aims at discussing among other things how Japan can contribute in economic diversification, resilient health systems and social stability.
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