A Japan-supported international conference on African development — the 8th Tokyo International Conference on African Development, or TICAD 8 — will be held in Tunisia, August 27 to 28.
TICAD 8, which is scheduled to take place in August, will be primarily focused on cooperation in the field of health care. This includes the fight against new coronaviruses. “The novel coronavirus has exposed the vulnerability of African countries in the health and medical fields,” according to Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga.
Fumio Kinio, Japan’s Prime Minister, will attend the two-day meeting.
The first meeting took place in Tokyo in 1993. In August 2019, the last meeting took place in Yokohama. After the 2016 conference in Kenya, the next conference in Africa will be the second TICAD African meeting.
According to observers the meeting will give Japan an opportunity to rebuild relations following the events of the pandemic, as well as the assassination and attempted assassination Shinzo Abe. Tokyo has historically largely exerted its influence over the continent through soft power, aid and development. Private sector and commercial lenders have been more cautious. Tokyo hopes to give the private sector a boost to invest in Africa and lend money to the continent, as China’s geopolitical rival drops its economic engagement. This is also as the twin effects of Covid-19 as well as the war in Eastern Europe have a negative impact on the global economy.
Source: north africa post
