A high-level Summit brought together the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government on 10th January, 2014 in Abidjan.
The Summit focused on issues related to the implementation of the recommendations of the 5th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 5).
Addressing the ECOWAS Heads of State, the Japanese Prime Minister said that Japanese TICAD aid which is managed by JICA (Japanese International Cooperation Agency) will concern mainly humanitarian aid for the Sahel refugees, displaced persons and returnees . This important contribution will be brought to the Sahel zone by the end of March 2014, said M. Shinzo Abe.
Japanese Prime Minister also said that his country will contribute to the training of staff in the region and poverty alleviation in the region. Japan will also finance infrastructure development as well as the areas of health and agriculture.
During the 5th Tokyo International Conference on African Development held last June in Yokohama, Japan announced an investment program of € 24 billion for the continent over a period of 5 years.