Abstract

It is only in the last 20 years that Africa has become a region to which Japanese official development assistance (ODA) personnel have attached significance. Until then, in its development aid programs, Japan long focused on Asian countries with which it has strong relationships, not only in terms of history and culture, but also economically and politically. As Japan became the top bi-lateral donor in 1989, it started to explore its unique approach of leadership in international development and launched the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), which has convened every five years since 1993. The latest conference (TICAD V) was held in 2013. In this article, the author examines the diverse interests of stakeholders involved in the discourse on aid to Africa from business, diplomatic, and humanitarian perspectives. The background of these different motives will be analysed through published and unpublished documents, supplemented by interviews with people involved in the planning and implementation of TICADs, particularly those in 2008 and 2013. The paper find that while Japanese aid to Africa will likely be sustained at the current levels, the focus is likely to shift more toward pragmatic partnerships between African states and Japan economically and diplomatically.

Highlights

  • It is only in the last 20 years that Africa has become a region to which Japanese official development assistance (ODA) personnel have attached significance

  • As Japan became the top bi-lateral donor in 1989, it started to explore its unique approach of leadership in international development and launched the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), which has convened every five years since 1993

  • Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) was in the position of co-ordinating these different stakeholders and building consensus on the principles and contents of TICADs, in reality, as some of the anonymous interviewees from the embassies and civil society organisations pointed out, the messages from MOFA were lacking in consistency and clarity

Read more

Summary

Introduction

It is only in the last 20 years that Africa has become a region to which Japanese ODA personnel have attached significance. I will examine the diverse interests of stakeholders involved in the discourse on aid to Africa from business, diplomatic, and humanitarian perspectives. The background of these different motives will be analysed through published and unpublished documents, supplemented by interviews with people involved in the planning and implementation of TICADs, those in 2008 and 2013. The supporters of humanitarian causes are facing the increasingly difficult task of mainstreaming their arguments, while aid to Africa, in general, has increased its share in the total amount of Japanese ODA

Historical Development of Japanese ODA to Africa and TICADs
African ownership and international partnership
TICAD as a diplomatic tool
Development of Africa through trade and investment
Transfer of Asian experience to Africa
Findings
Japan and Africa after TICAD V

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.