Japan, Africa leaders to end talks, vow to cope with food crisis
Leaders from Japan and African nations are set to wrap up a two-day meeting here on Sunday underscoring their commitment to better cope with the food crisis propelled by Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The leaders are also expected to affirm the importance of fair and transparent financing to spur growth in Africa, where China is increasing its clout through investment and development aid, according to Japanese government sources.
The meeting, the eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development, or TICAD 8, in the Tunisian capital Tunis comes amid rising concerns about stable food supply and soaring food and energy prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The food crisis is being felt acutely in some nations in Africa and the Middle East that are highly dependent on grain from Ukraine, a major producer.
Besides the Ukraine war, the African economy is still being hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Japan will inject $30 billion over the next three years for African development, including $300 million co-financing with the African Development Bank to boost food production.
Kishida addressed the meeting online due to his infection with COVID-19. Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi is representing Japan in the Tunis meeting.
Japan and other G7 members, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the United States, plus the European Union, have condemned Russia for destroying Ukraine’s agricultural infrastructure and imposing a blockade of its Black Sea ports that has prevented shipments of Ukrainian crops.
Russia, for its part, has blamed the food shortages on Western economic sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine.
The G7 members are concerned some African nations are accepting Moscow’s claims and even calling for an easing of sanctions.
In the address, Kishida said Japan will “grow together” with Africa in what is seen as a veiled attempt to contrast Tokyo’s approach to development with that of China.
China has been criticized for using a “debt trap” policy in which it leverages debt to gain concessions from borrowing nations such as long-term leases of port facilities and other infrastructure in strategically important areas.
Co-hosted by Japan, the United Nations, the World Bank, the U.N. Development Program and the African Union Commission, TICAD has been held every three years since its fifth session in 2013. Before that, it had taken place every five years following its launch in 1993.
On Saturday, representatives from 48 African nations, including 20 leaders, and international organizations attended the Tunis meeting, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES