His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta left the country yesterday evening for Yokohama, Japan to attend the 7th edition of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 7) that kicks off on August 28th.
At the three-day international conference focusing on development in Africa which will run until August 30th, Kenya will be seeking to strengthen its bilateral relations as well as consolidate cooperation with Japan in various sectors of the economy.
Hinged on the theme of “Advancing Africa’s Development through People, Technology and Innovation”, TICAD 7 provides an opportunity for Kenya to engage directly with Japanese investors.
The Kenyan delegation to TICAD 7 is also focused on optimizing the resources available in Japan for the delivery of the Big 4 Agenda in all areas including in Agriculture, Affordable Housing, Universal Health Coverage and Manufacturing.
TICAD 7 builds on TICAD 6, the first ever Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) on African soil that Kenya hosted in Nairobi three years ago in September 2016.
Apart from showcasing Kenya’s growth and exposing Japan to available areas of cooperation in trade and investment, TICAD 6 also facilitated a high-level policy dialogue between African leaders and Africa’s development partners on issues regarding growth, sustainable development, security, peace and stability. TICAD 7 will review the progress made on these issues and chart the way forward.
Launched by Japan in 1993 to promote Africa’s development, TICAD has over the years grown into a major global and multilateral forum for mobilizing and sustaining international support for Africa’s development under the principles of Africa ownership and international partnership.