Japan, South Africa, and Africa enjoy an array of partnerships facilitated through established forums and networks. Many conferences take place every several years. Two key fora are the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) and the South Africa-Japan University Forum (SAJU).
TICAD
Since 1993, the Government of Japan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have led the TICAD conferences. TICAD is co-hosted by the UN, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank, and the African Union Commission (AUC). TICAD’s goals are focused on promoting (1) sustainable economies, (2) higher standards of living, and (3) peace and stability in African countries.
TICAD VIII
The 8th official Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VIII) took place in a hybrid format on the 27th and 28th of August, 2022, in Tunis, Tunisia. Along with Japan and 48 African countries and heads of state, the Japan-African Union Friendship League, multinational organisations, private companies, and NGOs participated in the forum.
A summary of Prime Minister Kishida’s main remarks
| Area of Development | Promises/Remarks |
| Green Investment | Launch of “Japan’s Green Growth Initiative with Africa” with 40 million USD to be contributed. |
| Promotion of Investment | Creation of a 10 billion JPY fund for African start-ups Promoting collaboration between Japanese and Africans. |
| Development Finance | Financial incentives to promote sound debt management. |
| Public Health | Contribution of up to 1.08 billion USD to the Global Fund. |
| Human Resource Development | Cultivating 300,000 professionals via current and new channels of education. |
| Regional Stabilisation | Appointing an ambassador (special envoy) to aid in the stabilisation of the Horn of Africa. |
| Food Security | Assisting capacity building of food production and resilience in collaboration with the African Development Bank. Around 300 million USD will be provided. |
SAJU Forum
The South Africa-Japan University Forum provides a structured framework facilitating long-term research collaboration between South African and Japanese universities. SAJU saw its inception in 2007 and has promoted the following goals since:
- Mobility of students and staff.
- Joint R&D.
- Exchange programs among universities.
- The institutionalization of cooperation between the two countries’ leading universities.
The 6th South Africa-Japan University Forum (SAJU 6) will take place in Stellenbosch on 27-29 August 2024.
The theme of the Forum is Fostering Sustainable Partnerships in Research, Innovation and Impact.