The seventh edition of the Tokyo International Conference for African Development (TICAD) summit kicks off today (August 28) as over twenty African leaders gather in Japan.
On Tuesday, the TICAD7 Ministerial Preparatory Meeting was held in Yokohama, and Mr. Taro Kono, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, attended the meeting as a Co-chair and rallied for support to achieve a successful summit.
![Over twenty African presidents in Japan as 7th TICAD opens [LIST]](https://i0.wp.com/static.euronews.com/articles/845533/400x225_845533.jpg?w=800&ssl=1)
In response, the Co-chair, Sameh Shoukry, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt stated an intention to strengthen partnerships and to aim to achieve AU Agenda 2063 and SDGs through the TICAD7 process, under the theme of TICAD7, “Advancing Africa’s Development through People, Technology and Innovation”.
Thereafter, through the discussion among the ministerial-level participants, they affirmed the contents of ‘Yokohama Declaration 2019’ and ‘Yokohama Plan of Action 2019’, and the two documents will be presented to the leaders to be adopted at the TICAD7 Summit.
In this meeting, the measures expressed during the TICAD process over the past three years were also presented through the ‘TICAD VI Report 2016-2018’.
The government of Japan leads the conference with co-hosts such as the United Nations, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), World Bank and African Union Commission (AUC).
TICAD is a summit-level international conference regarding development of Africa launched by Japan in 1993.
African leaders and representatives gathered in Japan include:
- Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Ghana
- Julius Maada Bio, Sierra Leone
- Andry Rajoelina, Madagascar
- Ismail Omar Guelleh, Djibouti
- Joao Lourenco, Angola
- Hage Geingob, Namibia
- George Weah, Liberia
- Felix Tshisekedi, Democratic Republic of Congo
- Uhuru Kenyatta, Kenya
- Yoweri Museveni, Uganda
- Abdul Fatten Al-Sisi, Egypt and current African Union president
- Paul Kagame, Rwanda
- Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, Somalia
- Emmerson Mnangagwa, Zimbabwe
- Faure Gnassingbe, Togo
- Mahamadou Issoufou, Niger
- Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria
- Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa
- Ibrahim Boubakar Keita, Mali
- Edgar Lungu, Zambia
- Macky Sall, Senegal
- Everton Herbert Chimulirenji, Malawi Vice-President
- Isatou Touray, Gambian Vice-President
- Amadou Gon Coulibaly, Prime Minister of Ivory Coast
- Osman Saleh, Foreign Minister of Eritrea
- Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopian Prime Minister
