As TICAD 9 Closes, Ishiba Calls for Japan, Africa to Share Resources and Know-How for Common Prosperity

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:53 JST, August 22, 2025

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba called for stronger cooperation to promote human and industrial development in Africa on Friday, emphasizing the importance of solving challenges and advancing development on the continent.

“We hope to combine the rich human resources, technology and wisdom of Japan and the African nations to achieve shared prosperity,” Ishiba said at the closing ceremony of the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9), of which he was the co-chair.

Citing disaster preparedness as a major challenge facing African nations, Ishiba noted: “[Africa] is suffering the most severe impacts of climate change. Solving Africa’s problems will lead to solutions for Japan and the rest of the world.”

Reflecting on the conference’s three days of discussions, Ishiba said, “We were able to share many ideas on how to create innovative solutions together,” and concluded, “I hope this is remembered as a new starting point for strong cooperation between Japan and African nations.”