TICAD VI Follow-up seminar “Business Prospects in Africa and Support Schemes” was held in Tokyo on November 16, 2016. The Seminar was jointly organized by African Development Bank (AfDB), African Diplomatic Corps (ADC) and UNIDO ITPO Tokyo.

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TICAD VI, the first to be held outside of Japan took place in Nairobi, last August. The occasion has successfully built a momentum towards further industrialization in Africa and now, it is time to reflect the outcomes of TICAD VI in the business world and achieve a win-win relationship between Japan and Africa.  

With nearly 300 participants, the seminar was commenced by the opening remarks by Mr. Tadashi Yokoyama, Head of African Development Bank (AfDB), followed by remarks by H.E. Mr. Ahmed Araïta Ali, Ambassador of the Republic of Djibouti to Japan; Mr. Seiji Okada, Deputy Director-General, African Affairs Department, MOFA, and keynote speeches by Mr. Yasusuke Tsukagoshi, Special Representative, Japan, the World Bank and Ms. Izumi Kobayashi, Vice Chair, DOYUKAI.

Mr. Keiichi Shirato of Mitsui Global Strategic Studies Institute moderated the subsequent sessions. In the first session, panelists from 6 public organizations – AfDB, UNIDO, UNDP, JETRO, JICA and JBIC, introduced their schemes for business in Africa.

In the following session, business representatives shared their experience in Africa as well as official support schemes. Presentations were given by NEC Corporation, Tottori Resource Recycling Inc., Panasonic Corporation and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation. Panasonic mentioned their strategy in developing business in Africa and MENA region based in India. As one of the SMEs operating in Africa, Tottori Resource Recycling Inc. said that “Operating business in Africa is simply not possible without official support”. Finding right consultants and local partners was also mentioned as a key to success, while again, official supports by public/international organizations was mentioned as indispensable.

Following the two interactive sessions, H.E. Mr. Yahya Ngam, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania to Japan made special comments with the discussions summarized by the moderator. In closing, Dr. Hiroshi Kuniyoshi, Head of UNIDO ITPO Tokyo, reminded the audience that action need to be taken based on the topics discussed and the learnings from TICAD VI.

*Presentation materials are available on AfDB’s website.
  (Please note the materials are in original languages only.)

Outline

Date/Time:     16 November (Wed.), 2016  14:00-18:00 / 18:15- Networking reception

Venue:            U Thant International Conference Hall, 3F, United Nations University

Organizers:     The African Development Bank External Representation Office for Asia (AfDB ASRO)  
                      African Diplomatic Corps (ADC)
                      UNIDO ITPO Tokyo

Co-organizers: World Bank Tokyo Office
                       United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Representation Office in Tokyo
                       Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)
                       Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
                       Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC)

Supporters:     MOFA, MOF, METI, DOYUKAI, Africa Society of Japan, AFRECO, AB-NET