TUNIS, Aug 27 — Japan opens an African investment conference in Tunisia on Saturday, seeking to counter the influence of rival China which has steadily grown its economic imprint on the continent.
The eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development also comes as Beijing cements its influence on the continent with its “Belt and Road” infrastructure initiative. Since 1993, TICAD conferences backed by the United Nations and other international agencies have generated 26 development projects in 20 African countries.The conference will focus on three pillars: economy; society; and peace and stability.
Japanese economic paper Nikkei reported that aid to Africa could increase by 40 per cent over the next three years, in response to other powers that have boosted their presence on the continent. The conference has sparked anger among Tunisians as major road closures threatened traffic disruptions in the capital.