Nigeria president Buhari departs for TICAD7 summit
Abuja, Nigeria (PANA) – Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari, on Sunday departed Abuja for Japan to participate in the three-day Seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD7) taking place in Yokohama from Wednesday.
President Buhari’s participation will be his second, having attended TICAD6 in Nairobi, Kenya, in August 2016.
With the theme, “Africa and Yokohama, Sharing Passion for the Future,” the opening session will be performed by the Japanese Prime Minister and host, Shinzo Abe.
According to Presidential Spokesperson, Mr Femi Adesina, President Buhari will deliver Nigeria’s Statement during the Plenary Session in which he will appraise Nigeria-Japan relations and takeaways from TICAD6.
In addition to a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Abe, the Nigerian President will attend some side-events and meet chief executive officers of some Japanese companies with huge investments in Nigeria.
Formed in 1993, the now triennial TICAD, which has been convened alternately in Japan and Africa since TICAD6, according to the organisers, is the largest international conference held in Japan which “provides an open forum that generates innovative discussion among various stakeholders on African development”.
Participants are drawn not only from African countries, but also international organisations, private companies and civil society organisations involved in development.
TCAD7 is expected to focus on Africa’s economic transformation and improvements in business environment and institution through private investment and innovation; promotion of resilient and sustainable African society for human security; and peace and stability in support of Africa’s domestic proactive efforts.
The Presidential Spokesperson said that Nigeria has gained tremendously since her participation in TICAD6 at the highest level, during which Japan pledged US$30 billion investment for the future of Africa combined with the private sector; US$10 billion infrastructure investment, and US$500 million for vocational training of 50,000 Africans.
Since the Nairobi Conference, Japanese government and companies have been very active in supporting Nigeria’s agriculture, healthcare, electricity and youth empowerment.
President Buhari and his delegation are expected to push for broader Japanese assistance in the areas of science and technology, innovation, human resource development, education, agriculture, power, health and disaster risk reduction, among others.
The President is expected back in Nigeria on 31 August.
President Buhari’s trip to Japan is being overshadowed by calls by a secessionist leader from the Igbo ethnic group in southeast Nigeria to its members worldwide to converge in Japan in order "to arrest or disgrace" President Buhari during his stay.
The leader of the Independent Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Mr Nnamdi Kanu, said President Buhari "must be arrested and handed over to Japanese authorities" to answer for his alleged mass murder and crimes against humanity in Nigeria between 2015 and 2019.
In a statement on Sunday, the pro-Biafra leader urged its members to mobilise and ensure that they arrest President Buhari, saying they were ready for the legal aftermath of the action.
-0- PANA MON/MA 25Aug2019
