PRESS REVIEW
TICAD VI
TICAD VI : THE WORLD ’ S LARGEST CONFERENCE ON DEVELOPMENT
VALUABLE PRIVATE MEETINGS WITH JAPAN ’ S PRIME MINISTER :
The Agence de presse du Sénégal ( APS ) reported Senegalese President , Macky Sall ’ s announcement that Japan will finance the program Senegalese Universal Health Coverage ( CMU ) for 41 billion frs CFA .
SHOULD JAPAN IMPROVE ITS IMPORTS FROM AFRICA :
Quoting Kenya ’ s Vice-President , Mr . Ruto , the Daily Nation ( Kenya ) said “ Africa accounted for only 3 % of global trade . Meanwhile , Africa ’ s population is said to surpass that of India and China combined by 2050 . Unless the trade imbalance is reversed as a matter of urgency , this will accentuate vulnerability , poverty , risk of insecurity and instability for both Africa and the rest of the world ,” he said .
THE NAIROBI DECLARATION : PEACE AND SECURITY ISSUES :
In reference to the rule of law , Nippon . com submitted an analysis of the Nairobi Declaration : “ Along with highlighting Japan ’ s commitment to
African development , TICAD VI was also clearly intended to counter China ’ s growing influence .”
The Chinese media offered a more critical perspective on this issue . The Xinhua Africa News Agency accused Japan of using TICAD for political gains . For China Daily , there is a need for more project coordination , as China ’ s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister , Zhang Ming cast doubt on Japan ’ s financial promise , adding that “ impressive proposals are made during international forum , but very little is achieved in the implementation phase .”
For The Citizen ( Tanzania ) newspaper : “ Prime Minister ’ s Abe speech at TICAD VI was a well-crafted speech to avoid any diplomatic disaster ”.
JAPAN ’ S NEED TO UPGRADE ITS BUSINESS PERCEPTIONS OF AFRICA :
The African Business magazine recognizes that “ Japan is slowly taking a more business-minded approach to Africa . But so far , this focus has been limited to strategic commodities rather than media . Mobile phone penetration in Africa increased from 10 % in 2001 to more than 80 % in key markets today ; 4G mobile networks and fibre-optic data networks are being constructed all over the continent ; and while only a fraction of Africans currently have access to high-speed internet , that number is growing daily . (..) Greater engagement between Japanese media producers and African audiences could help to widen this relationship beyond aid .”
JAPAN ’ S SUCCESSFUL CHARM OFFENSIVE IN AFRICA
TICAD VI will be remembered through Japan ’ s pledge to mobilize a total of 30 billion USD in private-public sector funds to invest in Africa over next three years .
Overall , the media coverage during TICAD VI has been respectful . For Japanese media , such as The Japan Times , “ TICAD VI is a paradigm shift geared toward moving from official development and assistanceoriented programs to private sector centered policies for increased trade and investment . The development is envisaged to strengthen a mutually beneficial business partnership between Japan and Africa and other global development partners ”. For African media , including All African news platform , “ TICAD VI has been a very successful Japan ’ s charm offensive in Africa ”. Stay tune for the next TICAD VII to be held 2019 in Yokohama , Japan .
32 // OCTOBER 2016 JAPAN AND THE WORLD MAGAZINE