Yesterday, the “Tokyo International Symposium on African Development” (TICAD) kicked off in Tunisia with dozens of officials from across the continent and from Japan seeking to strengthen partnership with it in the “difficult context” imposed by the Covid pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
Thirty heads of state and government are expected to attend the eighth edition of the symposium, held yesterday and today in the capital of Tunisia, which also seeks to capitalize on the economic opportunities offered by partnerships with Japan and the rest of the world. continent within the framework of bilateral and multilateral programs.
According to Japanese media, this event will be Tokyo’s “response” to the US, Europe and their most visible competitor, China, which is hard at work strengthening its presence in Africa, especially through infrastructure projects under its Belt and Road. “initiative.
This is the first version of TICAD since the Corona virus outbreak and the second in Africa after it was hosted in Kenya in 2016. The Symposium, organized by Tokyo in 1993, is held every three years.