Mr Kondo is in the country to not only strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries, but also extend an invite from the Japanese premier to President Koroma to attend the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD-VI) to be held in Nairobi from August 27 – 29, 2016.

The president noted that the African position is a simple request, adding that considering the number of issues discussed at the United Nations on Africa, the continent is asking for a fair representation on a permanent as well as temporal basis. While noting the use of the veto and other issues in trying to understand the African position, President Koroma underscored the need for a specialized meeting between the C-10 and the G4 nations to further address the African Common Position. He also expressed similar sentiments with the Japanese Envoy on growing and strengthening the economies of African countries that lessens the dependence on international donors, and thanked the Japanese government for its continued support particularly during the unprecedented Ebola outbreak.

In his statement, Mr Kondo said Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was impressed with the transformative leadership of President Koroma and recounted the successful outcome of the meeting on the African Common Position three years ago in Yokohama. He pointed out that the African Common Position on the reform of the UN Security Council is a top priority as well as strengthening African economies.

In another development, the Special Envoy from Venezuela, Ambassador Eduardo Median Rubio, formally presented an invite to President Koroma to attend the revival of the Non Aligned Movement (NAM) conference slated to take place from September 17 – 18, 2016. The Non-Aligned Movement is a group of states which were not formally aligned with or against any major bloc during the cold war.