Tokyo International Conference On African Development - TICAD-IV

TICAD-IV

TICAD IV (May 2008) was convened in Yokohama. In its 15-year history, this was the first time the conference was convened in a city other than Tokyo. Yokohama is preparing to mark the 150th anniversary of the opening of the port and the 120th anniversary of the commencement of the City Administration. In this context, TICAD IV and the slogan, Yokohama Meets Africa were intended to underscore the international character of the port and city.

This year's meeting was the most heavily attended of the four TICAD events. Responding to the invitation were 51 African nations (all except Somalia), 17 African organisations, 12 Asian nations, 22 donor nations, and 55 international organizations, with a total of about 2,500 delegates. These included 40 presidents or prime ministers of African countries, twice the number of those present at TICAD III (2003). Also in Yokohama were organizers associated with "official side events" and other participants in the conference.

TICAD IV consisted of plenary sessions and twenty-four "thematic" sessions. TICAD focused on strategies for better mobilizing the knowledge and resources of the international community in the core areas of: (a) economic growth; (b) human security, including achieving the UN's Millennium Development Goals; and (c) environment/climate change issues. In addition, TICAD IV tried to identify possible inter-linkages within the context of the G8 Hokkaidō Tōyako Summit in July 2008. In this context, World Bank and International Monetary Fund Development Committee Executive Secretary Kiyoshi Kodera spoke at a pre-event meeting in which he arguing that everyone needs to "accept the harsh reality" that sub-Saharan African countries will remain heavily dependent on foreign aid until they find a new growth path.

Attending the conference were representatives of the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), a number of donor countries, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other relevant agencies. The shared perspectives of the conference delegates serves to underscore the case for immediate assistance to help Africa’s vulnerable economies to weather the current global food and fuel crisis. Participants agreed that emergency food aid was necessary, but it was also necessary to carry out medium-to-long-term interventions, with special attention on the division of roles and complementarity among various development agencies.

Smaller scale projects were also included in the TICAD agenda. At this year's conference, the Japanese introduced a projected JICA investment in replicating the "One Village One Product movement" (OVOP) in African contexts. In this context, the President of Malawi's visit to Japan also included a visit to OVOP headquarters in Osaka.