Japan pledges financial support for African development through AfDB

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has held talks with the African Development Bank (AfDB) President Donald Kaberuka, and he pledged that, Japan will continue to give financial support for African development projects and programmes delivered through the AfDB.

This was during the fifth Tokyo International Conference on Africa Development (TICAD V) in Yokohama.  Abe said TICAD and the AfDB’s  programmes were well aligned, as both supported programmes that resulted in ‘inclusive growth’— growth which leaves no one behind, a press release issued on June 5, 2013 has said.

Abe echoed Kaberuka’s comments at the close of the African Development Bank Group’s Annual Meetings in Marrakech, Morocco, last week, when he said that in a global environment, where economies appeared to be in decline, Africa would remain a strong source of growth.

Abe said, “The African Development Bank is the main channel of funds to African countries. Japan will continue to support projects and programmes through the Bank, “Japan has provided eight years of support through TICAD’s private sector-led growth strategy. We wish to continue to enhance relations between Japan and the AfDB,” he added.

Kaberuka thanked Japan for its “very generous” contributions to the AfDB’s work and welcomed its willingness to finance development in Africa, including its support for regional integration, private sector development and fragile states. He said that Africa’s growth was set to be 6.6 % in 2013, and further growth would follow in 2014.

By Dorcas Appiah