He said over the years Japan has increased financial and technical support towards the Government and people of Sierra Leone in the area of Agriculture, health, education and business.
Ambassador Masahiko Kiya said TICAD7 is an international conference led by the Japanese government and co-sponsored by the United Nations, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the African Union Commission (AUC) and the World Bank.
“We are looking forward to working with the President of Sierra Leone Julius Maada Bio to implement corporation agreements with Japan Government and also the private sector,” Ambassador Masahiko Kiya told our reporter ahead of the Conference in Japan.
The Government of Japan he explained has signed a grant of $4.3M with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to provide 2000 vulnerable youths with marketable skills to reducing the risk of irregular migration through employment promotion with public private partnership in Sierra Leone.
“Two corporation agreements were also recently signed with the Government of Japan on technical cooperation and the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers Programme (JOCV) to support sustainable development projects in Sierra Leone.
The Government of Japan will commence the seventh International Conference on African Development (TICAD 7) at Yokohama Japan from the 28th to the 30th of August 2019 to be witnessed by African Heads of State, Policy Makers, Civil Society, None Governmental Organizations and the media.
According to the Ambassador of TICAD 7 in the Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) is an international conference led by the Japanese government and co-sponsored by the United Nations, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the African Union Commission (AUC) and the World Bank.
H said after TICADs IV and V were successfully held in Yokohama in 2008 and 2013, TICAD will be coming back to Yokohama which saw more than 4,500 participants – heads of state and government, representatives of international and regional organizations, civil societies, NGOs, and the private sector.
Japan he added is among the leading countries providing economic assistance as part of its global responsibility to help achieve peace and stability throughout the world and contributes to the solution of various problems in many African countries including Sierra Leone.
TICAD7 will focus on the theme, Business and Innovation sharing passion for the Future with a unique partnership with Africa.
The main objective of the conference according to the Ambassador of TICAD 7 Masahiko Kiya is to share knowledge on economic diversification and increased investment with quality enforced human relationships in science and technology through innovation to address challenges in the Health, Education and the Environment.
Ambassador of TICAD 7 Masahiko Kiya also explained that some of the side events of the conference include discussions with heads of state and government, representatives of international and regional organizations, civil societies, NGOs, and the private sector.
“Japan is working on an Africa lead initiative towards development,”
He further explained that the Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA) and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) are closely working with African Governments for sustainable development.
The Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) will host “African Startups Pitch” at PACIFICO Yokohama Exhibition Hall B on August 30, 2019, as an official side event of the Seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD7).
Ambassador of TICAD 7 Masahiko Kiya also explained that the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), aims to provide up-to-date information on African startups as potential new partners and investment opportunities for Japanese companies looking to expand into Africa.
Mobile apps are now a new social infrastructure in Africa, as seen for example with the rapid spread of mobile payment such as M-Pesa (1). As a result, there is an increasing number of startups developing products and services targeting the previously difficult to access lower income sector of the market.
JETRO is collaborating with Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB), the largest accelerator in Nigeria, for the first time to organize a pitch event featuring 10 deep-tech startups selected from over 200 applications.
President Julius Maada Bio is expected to hold bilateral talks with the Japanese Prime Minister and other private sector players during the conference which is expected to end on August 30, 2019.
