Japan's Africa Partnership Puts Youth, Investment and Development at the Centre of TICAD9

Japan's Support Gains Weight as Global Aid Shrinks

Japan's development partnership with Africa is drawing renewed attention as assistance from many Western nations declines, with digital skills, private investment and support for vulnerable communities at the centre of discussions around the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD).

As of August 21, 2025, TICAD9 is scheduled for August in Yokohama. Its agenda brings together immediate pressures, including food insecurity and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, with longer ambitions for industrial growth, cleaner energy and jobs for Africa's young population.

The partnership already includes a $4 billion Green Growth Initiative for Africa, a $130 million facility to tackle food insecurity worsened by the war in Ukraine, and more than $2.5 billion pledged to address vaccine shortages and gaps in health systems. These measures sit alongside projects supporting peace, elections, entrepreneurship and public services.

Haoliang Xu, acting administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), described Japan's assistance as especially valuable while international cooperation faces growing pressure. In an interview, he linked the importance of TICAD to the danger that Africa's most vulnerable countries could be left behind.

Japan's assistance through TICAD is really significant at a time when multilateralism is declining.

Multilateralism means countries working together through shared institutions and agreements. TICAD puts that approach into practice by bringing African governments, Japan, international organisations, businesses and civil society into the same development discussions.

UNDP officials and African leaders have highlighted Tokyo's continuing engagement at the latest TICAD gathering. Their central concern is how that support can help African countries meet urgent needs while building the skills, businesses and institutions required for lasting economic growth.

A Forum Built Around African Priorities

TICAD began in 1993. Japan co-organises the forum with the African Union, UNDP, the United Nations Office of the Special Advisor on Africa and the World Bank. Over more than three decades, it has developed into a platform for aid, trade, investment and the exchange of knowledge.

African ownership is one of its guiding principles. In practical terms, African countries are meant to set their development priorities, while Japan and other partners align their assistance with those choices. International partnership and inclusive dialogue are also central to the process.

Governments do not take part alone. Private companies and civil society participate alongside international organisations, widening discussions beyond public aid budgets to include business opportunities and community needs.

Japan's approach also reflects diplomatic ideas associated with harmony, known as wa, consensus building and quiet leadership. The concepts of tatemae, meaning a public stance, and honne, meaning true intent, help explain a style that seeks cooperation without confrontation. Within TICAD, that approach places value on maintaining dialogue among participants with different interests.

The forum has gradually moved from a relationship centred on donors and recipients towards one that gives greater weight to trade, investment and joint development of solutions. That shift matches African ambitions to reduce dependence on aid and generate growth through domestic initiative and investment.

How the Partnership Has Developed

Japan's support now extends beyond financial contributions to technology transfer, entrepreneurship and the development of skills and institutions. Digital innovation, green energy and health are among the sectors receiving attention.

Several dates help explain how the partnership reached its present stage:

• 1993: TICAD was launched as a forum for African development and international partnership.
• 2005: Japan and the African Development Bank launched the Enhanced Private Sector Assistance framework.
• 2019 to 2021: Japanese support enabled UNDP to assist vulnerable populations across Africa during a period that included the COVID-19 pandemic, climate pressures and regional conflicts.
• August 2025: TICAD9 is scheduled in Yokohama, with a further extension of the private sector assistance framework expected to be signed.

Those milestones show how emergency assistance and longer development programmes have become connected within the same partnership. Public support can help restore essential services, while investment and training seek to build the businesses and employment that communities need beyond an immediate crisis.

Where Japanese Support Reaches Communities

Between 2019 and 2021, Japan's continuing support helped UNDP deliver assistance across countries facing overlapping health, climate and security pressures. The work covered several different needs rather than a single continentwide programme.

Peacebuilding and security projects included support for demining in Benin, peacekeeping training in Mali and Togo, and stabilisation efforts in South Sudan. Demining removes explosive hazards, while peacekeeping training prepares personnel for work in places affected by conflict.

Economic recovery initiatives operated in the Central African Republic and Nigeria. Support for African startups through the Meet the Tôshikas programme added a business development component, connecting the recovery agenda with efforts to create new companies and jobs.

Health and social protection work included rehabilitation of health infrastructure in Cameroon, support for vaccine equity through COVAX, and social protection projects in Senegal. Vaccine equity means improving access so that protection against disease is not determined simply by a country's resources.

Governance assistance included electoral support in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe, alongside efforts to promote free and democratic elections. Together, these projects illustrate how the partnership spans security, public services, household support and political institutions.

Climate, Food and Health Commitments

Japan's Green Growth Initiative for Africa carries a $4 billion investment aimed at addressing climate change and supporting the continent's transition towards greener development. It forms part of a wider effort to combine economic opportunity with responses to environmental pressure.

A separate $130 million facility was launched to combat food insecurity made worse by the war in Ukraine. Food insecurity means people cannot reliably obtain enough food. For affected communities, it is an immediate concern alongside longer development goals.

More than $2.5 billion has also been pledged to tackle vaccine shortages and weaknesses in health systems. Support for vaccines and health infrastructure addresses related needs: countries require both medical supplies and functioning services capable of delivering care.

These commitments give the partnership several entry points into the same challenge. Illness, food shortages and climate disruption can place pressure on households and public institutions at the same time, while recovery requires attention to each of them.

Bringing African Businesses and Japanese Investors Together

The African Development Bank (AfDB) is a major partner in TICAD, working with Japan to mobilise resources for energy, transport, health and climate resilience. Its role connects the forum's development priorities with financing for businesses and infrastructure.

The Enhanced Private Sector Assistance framework (EPSA), launched in 2005, has generated billions of dollars in co-financing. Co-financing means that partners contribute funding to the same projects, allowing them to share the financial burden.

EPSA6, the latest extension of that framework, is expected to be signed at TICAD9. The anticipated agreement would deepen the relationship between Japan and the AfDB. Its signing is still described as an expectation in the conference preparations.

The Africa Investment Forum and the Japan Investment Roadshow provide other routes for African entrepreneurs to meet Japanese investors and companies. Their purpose is to turn business ideas and investment interest into partnerships that can support innovation and sustainable employment.

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry supports UNDP's Meet the Tôshikas programme. The initiative connects African startups with Japanese investors and provides funding, mentorship and access to Japan's experience in developing business ecosystems, the networks of investors, companies and support services around new enterprises.

At the recent Japan Investment Roadshow, six African startups engaged with more than 30 Japanese investors and business leaders. Those meetings generated new partnerships and exchanges of knowledge, giving a concrete example of the commercial connections TICAD seeks to encourage.

Why Youth and Digital Skills Are Central

Africa is projected to account for 25 percent of the world's population by 2050. With the youngest population globally, the continent's development prospects are closely connected to whether young people can gain useful skills, find work and help shape public decisions.

Ahunna Eziakonwa, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Regional Director for Africa, placed people at the centre of that argument. She linked Africa's demographic strength to the need for practical investment in skills.

Africa's greatest wealth is its people, with the youngest population globally. Engaging Africa's youth and supporting skills development are crucial for future progress.

The African Young Women Leaders Fellowship Programme, supported by UNDP, is one example of efforts to nurture future leaders. TICAD and its partners also prioritise entrepreneurship and training as ways to help young people participate in economic development.

Recent thematic events have sought to give young people a role in the conference itself. Africa-Japan Youth Drive: The Co-creation of the Future We Want brought together participants from Africa and Japan to discuss proposals for TICAD9 and press for greater youth involvement in decisions.

Those discussions focused on mentorship, exchanges between people from both regions and systems that include youth voices at every level. The aim extends beyond inviting young people to events: it includes their participation in shaping priorities.

Xu also highlighted Japan's focus on developing human resources in artificial intelligence (AI) and digital sectors. AI refers to computer systems that perform tasks such as recognising patterns or producing responses from data. Training people to work with such technologies is part of preparing a workforce for the digital economy.

Japan's investment in these skills is intended to address employment challenges, support innovation and help position Africa as a future centre for growth driven by technology. Xu believes it can also help create the talent that attracts more Japanese investment to the continent.

What TICAD9 Is Being Asked to Deliver

A recent meeting between UNDP and the African Diplomatic Corps in Japan brought development priorities into the preparations for TICAD9. Such consultations are intended to keep African choices at the centre of the process.

The themes identified for the August 2025 conference in Yokohama cover both recovery and changes to the structure of African economies:

• Recovery and resilience after the pandemic.
• Trade, investment and industrialisation.
• Agriculture and food security.
• Education, technology and digital transformation.
• Greater opportunities and influence for youth and women.
• Climate change and sustainable energy.

Eziakonwa set out a vision that combines African ownership with continuity and closer attention to results. As UNDP's regional director for Africa, she called for TICAD to remain connected to wider development commitments while strengthening cooperation between governments and businesses.

TICAD should remain African-owned, maintain continuity, link to global development frameworks, strengthen accountability, and promote public-private partnerships.

Accountability means being able to track commitments and judge whether they produce results. For the people intended to benefit from TICAD, the practical concern is whether discussions lead to functioning services, better employment opportunities and more dependable infrastructure.

Financing and Energy Gaps Remain Large

Africa needs an estimated $1.3 trillion annually to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the international framework for development. Restrictive financial systems and speculative credit ratings make it harder for many African economies to attract the investment needed.

Credit ratings influence how lenders judge the risk of lending to a country. Poor ratings can raise borrowing costs, leaving governments with more interest to pay. African economies pay billions in excess interest associated with poor ratings, strengthening calls for reform of global finance.

Energy shortages present another major constraint. Around 600 million Africans lack reliable electricity, while 900 million lack access to clean cooking. The cooking access gap is 300 million people larger, or one and a half times the figure for unreliable electricity.

Those figures describe two large areas of unmet need. Addressing them requires finance, infrastructure, partnerships and the transfer of technology, all areas where Japan's experience and continuing engagement can contribute.

TICAD also faces diplomatic complications, including debates over the participation of certain entities in its meetings. Japan seeks to manage those disagreements through harmony and neutrality while keeping attention on development and partnership.

The central task remains connecting commitments with African priorities. Japan's relationship with UNDP, the AfDB, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and private businesses brings together finance and technical assistance, while the emphasis on youth and African ownership gives the partnership a direction beyond emergency aid.

Key Points

• Japan's continuing support for Africa is gaining importance as development assistance from many Western nations declines.
• TICAD began in 1993 and has expanded from aid towards trade, investment, skills and African ownership of development priorities.
• Commitments include a $4 billion green growth initiative, a $130 million food security facility and more than $2.5 billion pledged for vaccines and health systems.
• Japanese support spans peacebuilding, economic recovery, health, social protection, elections and entrepreneurship.
• Six African startups recently met more than 30 Japanese investors and business leaders through the Japan Investment Roadshow.
• TICAD9 is scheduled for August 2025 in Yokohama, with EPSA6 expected to be signed and youth, investment, food security and climate among its priorities.
• Africa's estimated annual SDG financing need is $1.3 trillion; 600 million people lack reliable electricity and 900 million lack clean cooking.