On 27 August 2022, the Eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD8) was held as planned in Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. Unfortunately, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida could not attend due to his Covid-19 diagnosis, and sent Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi in his stead.
TICAD8's three pillars
Held over two days, discussions at the conference broadly related to three pillars. The first pillar of the economic sphere focused on realising structural transformation for sustainable economic growth and social development. This included the reinforcement of a free and open international economic system; green growth with a view to decarbonisation; support for Africa’s youth through business assistance centred on solving social issues, including support for start-ups; and initiatives leading to the development of a sustainable society. With China in mind, the need to be wary of unfair and opaque development finance was also mentioned.
...it was announced that the public and private sectors combined would make investments amounting to US$30 billion over the next three years.
The second pillar of a resilient society dealt with the need to realise a resilient and sustainable society in anticipation of the post-Covid-19 pandemic era. This reflects the aim of realising a high-quality living environment through control of infectious diseases including Covid-19, initiatives aimed at Universal Health Coverage (UHC) that have been promoted since TICAD6 in 2016, along with human resource development and measures to combat climate change.
The third pillar of sustainable peace and stability talked about attaining peace and stability in Africa through instilling good governance, democracy and the rule of law, and through efforts to prevent conflicts, build peace and cultivate the resilience of the community.
These discussions culminated in the adoption of the TICAD8 Tunis Declaration at the close of the conference on 28 August. From the perspective of emphasising “investment in people” and “the quality of growth”, which related particularly to the second pillar in Prime Minister Kishida’s opening remarks during the online opening ceremony, it was announced that the public and private sectors combined would make investments amounting to US$30 billion over the next three years.
This leadership school appears to be aimed at teaching young future leaders of the political parties the methods of "one-party rule"...
China's development in Africa: CCP's leadership school
Meanwhile, developments concerning China reported on by Japanese media and other outlets in mid-August have garnered interest, and relate to the Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Leadership School that was jointly constructed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in Tanzania and the ruling parties of six southern African nations. These nations share the history of having had armed forces in power at the time of decolonisation which were later reorganised into political parties and which had stayed in power since independence.
This leadership school appears to be aimed at teaching young future leaders of the political parties the methods of "one-party rule", but the school’s website does not go into any detail. From May to June of this year, around 120 people attended a course held by the school.
This development, which is in line with China’s version of “human resource development” under the policy outlined in the Dakar Framework for Action adopted at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) last year, bears careful watching.
A softer stance vs the US
The TICAD8 Tunis Declaration adopted this year uses expressions that afford a degree of consideration to African countries.
On the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the declaration reads: “...we renew our commitment to work together to maintain international peace and stability based on the principle that the centerpiece of the international order is international law, including the UN Charter, and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries...”
However, in response to different stands taken by the African countries amid the resolution condemning Russia’s aggression against Ukraine at the special session of the UN General Assembly in March 2022, only the wording “situation in Ukraine” was used in the context of discussions about the export of grain and agricultural products via the Black Sea.
These cautious expressions are at odds with the “US Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa” announced by the US on 8 August, which explicitly mentions China and Russia in the “strategic environment” in terms of their potential to impede transparency and openness and destabilise the region.
Additionally, as before, there was mention of “the initiative of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific” which Japan announced at TICAD6 held in Nairobi, Kenya, but the language avoided mentioning China specifically. These cautious expressions are at odds with the “US Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa” announced by the US on 8 August, which explicitly mentions China and Russia in the “strategic environment” in terms of their potential to impede transparency and openness and destabilise the region.
A measure of Japan's influence
At TICAD8, perhaps as a result of Prime Minister Kishida being unable to travel to Tunisia due to his Covid-19 infection, the number of participating countries fell by five to a total of 48, while head-of-state-level attendance halved from the previous 42 to just 20 heads of state. This shows signs of decline for TICAD, which is billed as a top-level meeting.
For Japan, how well it will be able to implement the text of this latest declaration will again depend on its ability to execute as it strives to assert its presence to some degree.
In addition to Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairperson of the African Union Commission, Prime Minister Kishida held online top-level meetings with only nine African countries (Tunisia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Libya, Egypt, Senegal, Tanzania, South Sudan and Djibouti).
It is estimated that TICAD8 was a markedly smaller affair than TICAD6 held in Nairobi with more than 10,000 in attendance, or TICAD7 held in 2019 in Yokohama. For Japan, how well it will be able to implement the text of this latest declaration will again depend on its ability to execute as it strives to assert its presence to some degree.
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