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The Tokyo International Conference on African Development: Something Old, Something New?
Background Note
Elizabeth Donnelly, May 2008
- The Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) is inspired by the achievements of East Asian countries over the last 40 years. It promotes development in Africa and is the basis of Japan's current relationship with African countries. TICAD is about South-South cooperation and African ownership, advocating their potential for economic and social development. In each of the preceding TICAD conferences, Japan has stressed that Africa's challenges are global issues and argued for collective action by the international community.
- Convening TICAD IV in Yokohama just over a month ahead of the G8 summit to be held in Hokkaido is good strategy by the Japanese. It is important that the results of TICAD IV impact the G8 communiqué on Africa. This matters as much to Japan as it does to Africa. International prestige is important to Japan, and TICAD is its way of signalling to the international community that it has a strong partnership with Africa. This year marks the halfway point for achievement of the UN Millennium Development Goals and TICAD IV offers an opportunity to evaluate progress made.
- Japan's strength does not lay in the ability to inject huge amounts of cash in aid to the continent. Nor does it lay with investment. What Japan can and should offer African nations is know-how and using its own development experience and that of East Asia to influence Western donors to follow suit. Perceived as relatively neutral on Africa due to its comparatively few investments and less historical baggage, Japan is well-placed to press other G8 members on an African agenda.
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