TICADTICADが横浜よこはまで開幕かいまく 石破いしば首相しゅしょう AIAI分野ぶんやで3万さんまん人にん育成いくせい方針ほうしんを表明ひょうめい

The Tokyo International Conference on African Development TICAD opened in Yokohama City, and Prime Minister Ishiba stated that in Africa, where the median age of the population is 19, empowering young people and women is key to growth. He announced a policy to train 30,000 people in the field of AI over the next three years.

The international conference TICAD, led by the Japanese government, opened in Yokohama City on the afternoon of the 20th, and Prime Minister Ishiba delivered the keynote speech.

In this, Prime Minister Ishiba, regarding the development of Africa, said, We should get to know our counterparts, think together with their countries, and work together to create solutions.

He stated, For Africas development, locally rooted solutions are important, and expressed his intention to strengthen cooperation while understanding the needs of each country.

On top of that, in Africa, where the median age of the population is 19, empowering young people and women and securing employment are seen as keys to growth. It was announced that over the next three years, 300,000 people will be trained in a wide range of fields such as industry, healthcare, and education, and in the field of AI, 30,000 people will be trained.

Furthermore, it was explained that, in addition to supporting business startups and improving productivity, they aim to mobilize a total of 1.5 billion dollars in funding from both the public and private sectors.

Furthermore, emphasizing that strengthening regional connectivity is essential for economic growth, the Indian Ocean–Africa Economic Zone Initiative was proposed, positioning the area stretching from India through the Middle East to Africa as a new economic zone.

On the other hand, regarding infectious disease control, it was announced that up to 550 million dollars will be contributed over the next five years to the international organization Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which works to promote vaccine distribution in developing countries.

In conclusion, Prime Minister Ishiba said, This is an era when solutions originating in Africa can save the international community, including Japan.

He emphasized, Japan and Africa will come together as one to create innovative solutions to challenges, and we want to tackle the issues facing Africa and the world together.

Following this, Prime Minister Ishiba held talks with President Boakai of Liberia and conveyed his intention to steadily implement cooperation in areas such as road construction and healthcare. In his meeting with President Faye of Senegal, he also indicated a policy of supporting human resource development, such as vocational training, and landmine removal.

We also agreed with Prime Minister Jugnauth of Mauritius, an island nation in the Indian Ocean, to further strengthen cooperation in the field of maritime security.

Co-chair: Regaining the Pace of Growth At the opening ceremony of this TICAD, Angolan President Lourenço, who is serving as co-chair alongside Prime Minister Ishiba, delivered a speech, saying, Africa is suffering from a number of issues that are slowing down its economic growth.

Health is an important field.

We must regain the pace of growth in order to meet peoples basic needs, such as education, food security, energy, and infrastructure, he said.

On top of that, we are in a relationship of mutual dependence.

In the midst of increasing uncertainty in the international community, he stated that addressing the challenges facing humanity under multilateralism would increase the likelihood of success, once again emphasizing the importance of relations with Japan and expressing his expectations.

At TICAD, which began on the 20th in Yokohama, a venue has been set up to showcase Japanese companies business activities in Africa. A record 194 companies and organizations, including Japanese manufacturers and trading firms, are participating.

Some companies are turning their attention to Africa, saying that a series of tariff measures by the Trump administration has made it difficult to foresee the future of doing business in the United States.

Of these, a Tokyo-based manufacturer that produces generators and welding machines used at construction sites currently generates nearly 70% of its overseas sales from its business in the United States.

If the series of U.S. tariff measures causes a decline in local construction demand, there are concerns about a decrease in sales. Thats why we are now focusing on the African market, where the population continues to grow.

Up until now, this manufacturer has kept its business scale in Africa limited due to reasons such as political instability. However, with economic development expected to increase construction demand in countries like Ethiopia and Kenya, the company plans to actively expand its presence and aims to achieve sales of 1 billion yen in Africa in the future, which is ten times the current amount.

Kenichi Otomo, Head of the International Sales Department at machinery manufacturer Denyo, expressed his enthusiasm by saying, In terms of market diversification, we dont want to focus solely on the American market. We hope to develop the African market, where the population is increasing and infrastructure development is rapidly progressing, as the next pillar of our business.

At this TICAD, the Japanese government and companies are planning to sign over 300 memorandums of cooperation with local governments and others, aiming to support Japanese companies in exporting to and investing in Africa.

What is TICAD? TICAD, or the Tokyo International Conference on African Development, is an international conference led by the Japanese government since 1993.

Currently, it is held once every three years, and it serves as a forum where leaders from African countries, international organizations, and representatives from companies widely discuss economic cooperation with Japan, development assistance, and various issues facing Africa.

TICAD was initially launched with a focus on development assistance, as Japan sought to strengthen its ties with Africa at a time when large-scale aid from developed countries was shrinking due to the end of the Cold War.

Afterwards, as African countries achieved economic development due to factors such as the surge in natural resource prices, the theme shifted from aid to investment, and attention began to focus on Africa as an investment destination, with an emphasis on expanding business opportunities for private companies.

Amidst this situation, countries such as China, South Korea, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia have also started to hold a series of international conferences with Africa in an effort to tap into Africas growth.

Of these, China has been strengthening its ties by holding the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, also known as the Chinese version of TICAD, every three years since 2000, continuing to provide infrastructure construction and massive loans.

Russia has also been holding economic conferences with Africa since 2019 in an attempt to increase its presence, and especially since the start of the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, as tensions with the West have intensified, it has placed greater importance on its relationship with Africa.

On the other hand, since President Trump took office in the United States this January, foreign aid has been drastically reduced, and in places that have depended on such aid, various activities have come to a halt due to financial difficulties.

As countries like China and Russia strengthen their ties with Africa, Japan’s challenge at this ninth TICAD will be to deepen public-private cooperation and see whether it can promote investment by Japanese companies and further strengthen its relationship with Africa.