The President's Activities

JICA President Shinichi Kitaoka held talks with African heads of state and leaders of international organizations attending the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI) on Aug. 27-28 in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. Taking advantage of holding TICAD in Africa for the first time, they discussed JICA's activities in each country and the best ways to carry out cooperation in the future, including the promotion and implementation of TICAD VI initiatives.. Below are summaries of each of the meetings.

Aug. 26 (Friday)

Before TICAD VI began, Mr. Kitaoka held discussions with three United Nations officials: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Director-General José Graziano da Silva and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) President Kanayo F. Nwanze. Mr. Kitaoka and Ms. Clark discussed the partnerships relating to African aid and exchanged views on inseparable relationship between development and security in developing countries. With Mr. Graziano and Mr. Nwanze, Mr. Kitaoka welcomed partnerships on the Initiative for Food and Nutrition Security in Africa (IFNA).

Aug. 27 (Saturday)

On the first day of the TICAD VI main conference, Mr. Kitaoka held talks with Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé, Guinean President Alpha Condé, and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) President Peter Maurer. Mr. Gnassingbé thanked Mr. Kitaoka for JICA's cooperation on corridor development and expressed his hopes for cooperation in the infrastructure sector. Mr. Condé expressed thanks for JICA's past cooperation in the fields of agriculture and education. Mr. Maurer and Mr. Kitaoka agreed on the need to work together for better safety management when carrying out cooperative projects in developing countries.

Aug. 28 (Sunday)

On the second day of the TICAD VI main conference, Mr. Kitaoka held talks with President Alassane Ouattara of Ivory Coast, President Patrice Talon of Benin and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. Mr. Ouattara thanked Mr. Kitaoka for JICA's support for the West Africa Growth Ring region and expressed hopes for future support. Mr. Talon said that he expects the private sector in Benin to be cultivated through future cooperation. Mr. Kitaoka and Mr. Grandi discussed the rise of extremism and the refugee problem.

JICA will put to use the results of its discussions held during TICAD VI with development partners such as the heads of African states and international agencies to continue dialogue in the future and to provide assistance for inclusive and dynamic development in Africa.