The meeting discussed ways to strengthen the role of the private sector in developing the Africa-Japan partnership following the latest Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) Summit. Discussions also focused on working with the Japanese side to activate the outcomes of the Yokohama Declaration, issued by the Summit which Japan hosted from August 20 to 22 last year.
Ambassador El-Etreby praised the pivotal role of the TICAD
mechanism in advancing the Africa-Japan partnership. He underscored the
importance of encouraging the Japanese private sector and its counterparts in
African nations to seize the promising investment opportunities across various
sectors in Africa. These include, notably, infrastructure, economic and trade
cooperation, and African human resource development through capacity building,
technology transfer, and industry localization.
This development, he noted, should leverage the development
corridors across the African continent, such as the Suez Canal axis, LAPSSET in
East Africa, and Lobito in the Southwest, as well as through establishing and
supporting cooperation mechanisms with relevant Japanese, African, and
international institutions.
For his part, Tetsuji Ohashi, Head of the Africa Section at
KEIDANREN, and Jun Karube, Deputy Head of the Africa Section and Senior Advisor
at Toyota Tsusho, confirmed the Japanese business federation's aspiration to
expand its activities across the African continent. They will focus on key areas,
including infrastructure, African human resource development, and enhancing
social and healthcare services.
The meeting featured a reciprocal discussion between the
African Group Ambassadors and representatives from KEIDANREN and a group of
Japanese companies. The focus was on methods to attract Japanese private sector
companies to invest in African countries, given the continent's wealth of natural
and human resources. This wealth opens up prospects for achieving inclusive
economic and social development, consistent with Africa's Agenda 2063.
Both parties agreed to hold regular joint meetings to
discuss continuing support for the private sector's crucial role in advancing
the Africa-Japan economic partnership.
The meeting also provided an opportunity for networking and interaction with leading Japanese institutions and companies interested in launching or expanding their investments in Egypt, particularly in the fields of infrastructure, renewable energy, and financial services, in light of the positive developments in the Egyptian economy and the investment incentives offered.