Japan is hosting representatives from around 50 African countries starting Wednesday for the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), which will focus on the investment needs of African nations.
The three-day conference in Yokohama is also expected to open the door to discussions on potential free trade agreements between Japan and African countries, as well as loan guarantees and investment incentives for Japanese companies, according to Japanese media.
“Rather than focusing on our own needs, we want to carefully identify the needs of our partners and earn their trust, thus honoring our commitments as a nation,” Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Tuesday. For Japan, Africa represents a source of opportunity thanks to its young population and abundant natural resources. “We will discuss how we can harness these human and material resources as a source of vitality and link them to Japan’s growth and the world’s prosperity,” Ishiba emphasized.
According to the Japanese news agency Kyodo News, Japan is expected to commit at the conference to training 30,000 artificial intelligence experts over the next three years in order to promote digitalization in industry.
