JAPAN and the WORLD Magazine OCTOBER ISSUE 2016 #Issue 17 | Page 31

TICAD VI
PRESS REVIEW
メディアが見た第6回アフリカ開発会議 （TICAD VI）
THROUGH THE EYES
OF THE MEDIA
TEXT: MARC BÉLIVEAU
INTRODUCTION
Half of the media presence was
from Japan. This event was one
of the largest gatherings of
Japanese journalists in Africa.
メディア関係者の半数が日本から
であり、
アフリカにおいて日本人ジ
ャーナリストが集う最大の会議の
一つであった。
TICAD VI: HOW THE MEDIA REACTED
TICAD VI ENJOYS A POSITIVE IMAGE:
The “TICAD process” has been reported
widely and positively all across African media.
Influential magazines such as the Nairobi’s
Daily Nation newspaper sum up the
Conference with headline: “Japan proves it’s
a true friend of Africa, Kenya shows it was
up to the task”. Its competitor The Standard
wrote: “Record 73 deals signed in bid to boost
Africa-Japan trade”.
S
EVERAL AFRICAN MEDIA OUTLETS, including the All African news platform,
used headlines such as “TICAD VI: Excellent Opportunities for Business”. This
reflected the high level of excitement generated by this event. JAPAN and the
WORLD magazine has produced a TICAD Edition that was largely distributed during
the Conference in Nairobi.
In an interview published in Jeune Afrique weekly magazine, Mr. Hiroshi Kato,
vice-president of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) said “TICAD VI is
the largest conference on development in the world in general and that of Africa in
particular, to be organized after the four major events held in 2015-16.”
Holding TICAD VI in Africa for the first time was also an initiative welcomed by
the Japanese media. The Japan Times wrote “holding this important event in
Africa was a clear recognition that Africa has come of age for mutually profitable
partnerships with Japan and the rest of the world. This is attested by a confluence of
factors that have seen Africa transforming from a discredited continent to the new
frontier of global trade and investment.”
JAPANESE DISTINCTIVE
APPROACH TO DEVELOPMENT:
Japan seeks to differ with the other players
on the continent by placing emphasis on high
quality infrastructure.
According to Le Point Afrique (France):
“the challenge for Japan at TICAD VI is
clearly to stand out from the perspective of
what’s offering its Chinese neighbor.” After
long shunned the continent as a trading
partner, Japan intends to benefit from the
diversification of African economies to
seize opportunities in areas of excellence
for Japan.
JAPAN LISTS CONDITIONS FOR
INVESTMENT IN AFRICA:
African governments have been asked to
strengthen their laws and abolish excessive
regulations if they want to attract Japanese
investment. Japan’s Prime Minister Abe called
African governments to create a safe business
environment, guarantee peace and security
and reduce red tape.
The Guardian (Nigeria) newspaper reported
that Nigeria’s President Buhari promised “to
implement policies and measures to create
right and enabling environment for business
and investors in Nigeria”. The President
maintained that his administration was
committed to moving up Nigeria’s ranking of
the World Bank’s ease of doing business index
20 places in first year.
JAPAN AND THE WORLD MAGAZINE
OCTOBER 2016 // 31