The President of the African Union concluded his mission to co-chair, alongside the Japanese Prime Minister, the high-level meeting of the Japanese Platform for Cooperation with Africa.
As part of TICAD9, which concluded this Friday, more than 200 seminars and symposia were held, attended by hundreds of entities from the worlds of politics, diplomacy, technology, and innovation, with a view to strengthening and expanding cooperation between Japan and the African continent.
Exhibitions showcasing the productive capacity of Japan and a large number of African countries represented—such as Angola—were also active throughout the conference, demonstrating, through actions, the genuine desire between Africa and Japan to do business and move forward together.
In his closing remarks, João Lourenço stated that the conference's main and most important outcome was the alignment of positions between Africans and Japanese regarding cooperation priorities, enabling the achievement of the objectives established in the African Union's Agenda 2063, "which has deserved special attention from Japan," he said.
"Between Africa and Japan, there is a long road already traveled with plausible results and a road ahead, with infinite prospects for implementing far-reaching development initiatives and projects for the future of Africa and its people," the president said.
João Lourenço also considered it an "unavoidable priority" to act in a coordinated manner at the African level, in collaboration with international partners—such as Japan—to bring the ongoing peace processes on the African continent "to a successful and urgent conclusion."
The President concluded with "very encouraging prospects" for the 10th TICAD conference, which Africa will host in three years.
