At The Fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V) that was held in Yokohama in June 2013 and it became an important challenge to promote prosperity of African economic that growing up for the last past 10 years or so.

In his opening address at TICAD V, Prime Minister Abe announced that “What Africa needs now is private-sector investment and public-private partnership leverages that investment. It will be necessary to revolutionize the way of providing assistance to Africa.”

In the Yokohama Declaration, “promotion of private sector-led growth” was put as the top of the priority items.

The TICAD reflected the strong African opinion that not only economical assistance but also active trade and investment by private sector that support private sector-led growth are needed for African development.

Especially, the TICAD strongly expressed that African side is looking for business relationship between Japan and Africa to be improved and Japanese companies to launch businesses in Africa, and also eagerness of Japanese Government and the private sector.

In this way, AB-NET was established with the background of African business in Japan, gathering momentum of investment promotion and eagerness. The address by Prime Minister Abe at the TICAD V opening session and think pieces of TICAD’s accomplishments are introduced as following;

 

TICAD V opening session, address by Prime Minister Abe (PDF in Japanese)

Yokohama Declaration (PDF in Japanese)

TICAD V special report – “Toward Africa: major player is private sector investment”

(The International Development Journal, July 2013)