https://thediplomat.com/2018/10/japans-africa-outreach-why-china-should-pay-attention/
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2...ents-vulnerabilities-tokyo-meet/#.W7_stXtKiM8
And on a related note:
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20181010/p2a/00m/0na/027000c
Image Credit: Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Japan's Africa Outreach: Why China Should Pay Attention
Japan has a long, albeit low-key, history of high-quality infrastructure projects in African countries.
By Tridivesh Singh Maini
October 10, 2018
On October 7, Tokyo hosted a ministerial meeting attended by representatives from 52 African nations, held ahead of the 7th Tokyo International Conference for African Development (TICAD) to be held in Yokohama in August 2019.
TICAD (which is co-hosted by the government of Japan, UN Development Program, World Bank Group, and African Union Commission) was launched in 1993, with the main objective being to revive global interest in Africa. Prior to that, a number of key geopolitical developments such as the end of the Cold War had resulted in the global community shifting its focus away from the continent.
In the past two decades, TICAD has played a key role in African development. In recent years, the Japanese government has contributed to Africa’s development in a number of important areas. In the phase between 2008-2013 alone, the government of Japan built over 1,300 elementary and middle schools, upgraded nearly 5,000 healthcare and medical facilities, and also provided drinking water to over 10 million people.
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During the last TICAD event in 2016, held in Nairobi, Kenya, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe committed $30 billion in assistance for key areas such as infrastructure and health care over a period of three years.
Beijing will be closely observing the recent meeting for a number of reasons. Most notably, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono unequivocally stated that while Japan was keen to contribute to Africa’s growth story, Tokyo was concerned about the level of debts being incurred by Africa, and was as a result cautious with regard to extending loans. The unspoken message was that Japan had more consideration for African countries than China.
In another subtle comparison to the Chinese approach, Kono made it clear that in helping with infrastructure development in Africa, Japan would want the local population to benefit economically, and was keen that the local populations also learn how to maintain the infrastructure.
Kono also reiterated the point that Japan wants to assist Africa in the spheres of health care and disaster management. Both sides also agreed that people-to-people contact and linkages between Africa and Japan would be beneficial. African leaders categorically stated that Africa welcomes Japanese investments, since they benefit the continent in a number of ways.
It is not just economic linkages and connectivity under discussion. Japan also said that it is keen to connect Africa with Asia and make it part of the Free and Open Indo Pacific Strategy. To this end, New Delhi and Tokyo are working jointly on the Asia-Africa Growth Corridor with a view to enhance connectivity between Africa and Asia, and also propel economic growth.
During his address at TICAD Forum in 2016, Abe also spoke about the need for connecting Asia with Africa, while highlighting Japan’s role. Abe said that “Japan bears the responsibility of fostering the confluence of the Pacific and Indian Oceans and of Asia and Africa into a place that values freedom, the rule of law, and the market economy, free from force or coercion, and making it prosperous.”
Sunday’s TICAD ministerial meeting came a month after the 2018 Forum on Africa and China Cooperation, where China committed $60 billion in financing for Africa. At FOCAC, Chinese President Xi Jinping made a point of addressing skepticism with regard to China’s relations with Africa, specifically in terms of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The Chinese president stated that Beijing wanted the BRI to be win-win, and that China had no intentions of interfering in the internal affairs of African countries. Recent articles in the Chinese media have spoken about the importance of ties between China and Africa, and have made veiled references to the need for Chinese entrepreneurs to understand local cultures better.
Japan does not have the same perception problems.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which coordinates Japan’s overseas assistance, has provided assistance for crucial infrastructural projects in Africa, but in a low key manner. This includes assistance to the Ugandan government for the construction of the Kampala Metropolitan transmission line, carrying electricity from the Karuma Dam. In July 2017, JICA signed a $112 million loan for assisting in infrastructural development around Mombasa Port in Kenya. In Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s capital, JICA has provided assistance for crucial projects like the Tanzania-Zambia Railway (TAZARA) Flyover Bridge, and construction of a four-kilometer, six lane, Mwenge-Morocco highway.
Japanese businesses too are beginning to look at Africa as a favored destination. As of 2017, 795 Japanese corporations were operating in Africa. For example, car makers like Nissan and Toyota, seeing the increasing demand for vehicles, are beginning to expand their sale networks as well as manufacturing facilities.
It is evident that China is likely to face competition in Africa, and Japan has a proven track record of not only providing generous financial assistance, but also building world class infrastructure, all without creating too much hype. Japanese-funded projects have been appreciated. Tokyo’s role in Africa is all the more important given the fact that the United States is not doing much to counter China’s growing presence in Africa.
It is important for Japan to join hands with other countries, especially India, for achieving the goal of making Africa part of the Free and Open Indo-Pacific. Tokyo needs to be complimented for adopting a holistic approach toward Africa, and also being candid with regard to the continent’s economic and political challenges. Japan’s involvement is likely to be beneficial for both Tokyo as well as African countries.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2...ents-vulnerabilities-tokyo-meet/#.W7_stXtKiM8
Foreign Minister Taro Kono shakes hands Sunday with one of the participants at a two-day ministerial meeting of Japan and African countries held in Tokyo. | KYODO
NATIONAL / POLITICS
Japan, African ministers agree to address continent’s ‘vulnerabilities’ at Tokyo meet
KYODO
Ministers from Japan and African countries agreed Sunday that they urgently need to take policy actions to address the continent’s “vulnerabilities” and achieve its sustainable economic growth.
Representatives from 52 African nations who gathered in Tokyo for a two-day ministerial meeting identified challenges, ranging from building infrastructure and better utilizing human resources, particularly young people, to beefing up maritime security and boosting resilience against climate change.
As demand for infrastructure building has been on the rise across Africa, proper debt management for such projects has been increasingly seen as necessary.
Foreign Minister Taro Kono said he and the other participants shared the importance of making sure that borrowing countries can pay back debts and sustain fiscal health.
“The basic principles of our TICAD process are transparency, consistency, and follow-ups,” Kono told a news conference after the two-day meeting, held ahead of the 7th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) summit scheduled for Yokohama next August.
His remarks came amid growing concern about defaults by some African countries borrowing heavily from other countries, particularly China, which has been increasing its clout in the continent with massive investment.
In 2016, Japan pledged $30 billion in development assistance from both the government and private sector for Africa over a three-year period.
But Kono acknowledged that progress made so far has not been sufficient, saying the “deterioration of debt sustainability” in some African countries has prevented Japan from extending yen loans.
Enhancing connectivity through quality infrastructure is important for Africa to engage in global trade and seek growth led by the continent, according to a cochairs’ summary released after the meeting.
The delegates also called for digital, institutional and people-to-people connectivity as all of the domains are “central” to Africa’s development, the summary said.
Japan launched the TICAD framework in 1993 to put sharper international focus on African development. Africa now faces more diverse and complex needs in the face of economic growth.
Under its strategy to realize a “free and open” Indo-Pacific region, Japan seeks to enhance connectivity from Asia all the way to Africa. It also aims to promote health care coverage for all and share knowledge and expertise in disaster response and prevention.
The promotion of quality infrastructure is one of the initiatives undertaken by Tokyo, not just in Africa but in Southeast Asia.
Japan and Southeast Asian countries located along the Mekong River are scheduled to hold a summit Tuesday in Tokyo with connectivity high on the agenda.
And on a related note:
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20181010/p2a/00m/0na/027000c
Invest in African women entrepreneurs to empower them: UN official
October 10, 2018 (Mainichi Japan)
Oulimata Sarr, deputy regional director in charge of West and Central Africa at UN Women, poses for a photo during an interview with The Mainichi on Oct. 9, 2018. (The Mainichi/Hiroaki Wada)
TOKYO -- Empowering women is a mission for Oulimata Sarr, deputy regional director in charge of West and Central Africa at UN Women, and she means business by that.
Visiting Tokyo for the ministerial meeting on Oct. 6 and 7 of the Seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD7) slated for next year, Sarr said that connecting the private sectors of African countries and Japan was "an important outcome" of the meeting, in an interview with the Mainichi on Oct. 9. She is stationed at the office in Senegal in western Africa of UN Women, the United Nations organization for gender equality and the empowerment of women worldwide.
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"TICAD has been very much focused on political issues, human security," she said, but this year's ministerial meeting and its side events were "an opportunity for a lot of African countries to showcase their investment opportunities for Japanese companies." Sarr said she enjoyed that shift toward business.
A 10-year veteran from International Finance Corp. of the World Bank group helping private sectors in developing countries, Sarr is eager to invite some Japanese companies to invest in African women entrepreneurs. One candidate is producers of shea butter -- the fat extracted from the nut of the African shea tree -- that is widely used in cosmetics as a moisturizer or lotion. "Shea butter is produced in Africa and 90 percent of people who are in that value chain are women. It would be nice to have women in that conversation" for future investment possibilities, she said.
Japanese companies that caught her interest during this visit included a manufacturer of fuel bricks made from rice husks. Women supported by Sarr's office don't know what to do with the husks and throw them away, but the Japanese technology can make fuel out of such waste husks and reduce the need to cut trees that are vital for soil protection.
Sarr focuses on agriculture-related initiatives, especially those resilient against climate change with the capacity to empower women. She said many farm workers in Africa are women and empowering them requires addressing four issues: access to land, skills, finance and market.
As part of its efforts in this sector, UN Women and the World Food Programme are providing a "Buy from Women" phone application that matches up rural women with buyers, according to Sarr. The project is underway in African countries such as Rwanda and Mali. In Rwanda, some 5,000 farmers including women are using the digital platform to sell products such as maize to buyers.
Those women who used to make one dollar a day "are now making five dollars a day simply because you have a buyer so you don't have issues of postharvest losses." Because of the contractual relationship they have developed with the buyers, the women "are not sitting on the side of the road trying to sell maize to somebody," and have been economically empowered, she stressed.
There are other positive changes for women in Africa in the private sector, such as the launch of women's investment clubs in Senegal and Cote d'Ivoire. In the case of the Senegalese club, the recipients of investment are women-owned companies in the sustainable sector. "We take equity, so we are really long-term partners. We are there to participate in the growth of your company," explained the UN Women official. "Maybe women in Japan can do the same," she suggested.
Despite such developments, news coverage about Africa tends to be negative, focusing on violence, poverty and political instability. The Central and West Africa that Sarr is responsible for has no shortage of such stories -- from the Boko Haram extremists to famine and armed conflicts. "But I think for the past few years, there has been a shift into that narrative where they say Africa is rising, open for business" with a growing population and rich natural resources, said Sarr. "It's almost like if a developed country wants to have a certain level of growth, it will need to engage in Africa. I think Japan has understood that very well" and that shows in the way the TICAD conferences are organized, she said.
Japan has been "a great contributor" to human security, protecting women and children in conflicts in Africa. Now is the time for Japan to take the mission to the next level, said Sarr. "We want the government of Japan to engage with us on development."
And that support, said Sarr, should go to women. "African women are the ones that hold society together. They do anything to feed the family. I think all they need is support, to go to the next level, to have sustainable development."
(By Hiroaki Wada, The Mainichi Staff Writer)
