The TICAD Process is in its 23 year and is a forum aimed at contributing to Africa’s development and regional integration agenda. It seeks to promote synergies amongst African countries, Japan and the international community in a spirit of equality and mutual benefit. The co-organizers of the TICAD Forum are the Government of Japan, the United Nations, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank and the African Union Commission (AUC).
The TICAD VI Summit was historic in that the Forum was held in Africa for the first time since its initiation by the Government of Japan in 1993. Participants at the Summit included the Government of Japan and all 54 African countries, as well as representatives of 52 other partner countries, 74 international and regional organizations, captains of industry and other private sector players and civil society organizations from Japan and Africa.
Among the highlights of the programme of the historic TICAD VI Summit was special dialogue session between the Heads of State and Government, Heads of Delegation and private sector leaders from Japan and Africa. There were over 70 side events such as seminars, symposia, business fora and exhibitions held on the margins of the Summit. Over 100 Japanese corporations exhibited their cutting edge products, technologies and solutions.
The TICAD VI Summit adopted the Nairobi Declaration, with the theme “Advancing Africa’s sustainable development agenda –TICAD partnership for prosperity. The Declaration outlines three pillars on which the two sides propose to increase cooperation: Promoting structural economic transformation through diversification and industrialization; Promoting resilient health systems for quality of life; and Promoting social stability for shared prosperity. Also included in the Declaration is an Implementation Plan with Follow Up mechanism to build on the Yokohama Action Plan 2013-2017.
In line with the priority areas in the Nairobi Declaration, the Government of Japan announced that for a period of three years from 2016 to 2018, the country will invest approximately USD 30 billion in public private partnerships on implementing measures centering on developing quality infrastructure, building resilient health systems and laying the foundations for peace and stability in the Continent. This is in addition to the USD 32 billion that Japan pledged to Africa over a five-year period at the last TICAD meeting in 2013.The next TICAD VII Summit will be held in Japan in 2019 and will be preceded by follow up Ministerial and Senior Officials Meetings on dates to be announced.
