Minister Muto Attends the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9)

1. Attendance at the Public-Private Business Dialogue

The TICAD 9 Public-Private Business Dialogue was held with the participation of Mr. Ishiba Shigeru, Prime Minister of Japan, H.E. Mr. João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, President of the Republic of Angola and African Union Chairperson, and other high-level stakeholders in the public and private sectors who are interested in business in Africa. In this meeting, Minister Muto appeared on stage to announce the measures to be fostered by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry for Japan to build co-creation relationships with Africa from three perspectives. The first is collaboration for business and co-creation for industry between Japan and Africa through initiatives such as the Japan Africa Co-creation for Industry (JACCI) initiative and the Human Resource Development in AI/Data Science for Africa’s Economic Growth Initiative. The second is enhancement of connectivity between Africa and other countries through the Economic Partnership Initiative for Indian Ocean-Africa. The third is strengthening of public-private cooperation for financing support by measures such as promoting collaboration between Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI) and multilateral development banks (MDBs). In his speech, the Minister also referred to the signed documents unveiled at TICAD 9, the number of which was confirmed to exceed 300, clearly indicating that Japan-Africa relations have entered a new phase.

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2．Meeting with H.E. Mr. Parks Tau, Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, H.E. Dr. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, Minister of Electricity and Energy, and H.E. Dr. Blade Nzimande, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Republic of South Africa

Minister Muto held a meeting with Minister Tau, Minister Ramokgopa and Minister Nzimande and welcomed the issuance of the joint statement on decarbonization cooperation. The two sides exchanged views for the enhancement of bilateral economic relations in a range of fields, including decarbonization.

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3．Meeting with H.E. Mr. Daniel Mukoko Samba, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the National Economy, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Minister Muto held a meeting with Minister Mukoko. Based on the recognition that Japanese startups are working to find solutions to social issues through business in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is a country blessed with mineral resources, the two sides exchanged views on preliminary consultations with an eye toward an investment agreement for the improvement of the business environment and the promotion of investment in the country by Japanese companies.

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4. Meeting with H.E. Mr. Robert Beugré Mambe, Prime Minister, Head of Government of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire

Minister Muto held a meeting with Prime Minister Mambe. The two sides discussed methods to promote Japan’s trade and investment relations with the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, which plays a key role as a business center in West Africa. They welcomed the issuance of the joint statement on bilateral cooperation, including that for trade and investment support, cooperation between the business sectors of the two countries, and support for the development of the industrial workforce.

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Related Link

• The Ninth International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9) Held

Division in Charge

Africa Office, Trade Policy Bureau