President Kenyatta addresses TICAD 6,in Nairobi on September 2016. Photo/FILE.
NAIROBI, Kenya Aug 27 – President Uhuru Kenyatta was expected in Japan later Tuesday for the 7th edition of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), that kicks off tomorrow.
The Head of State left the country late Monday from Mombasa where he flagged off Kenya’s first crude oil export to Malaysia, bought for Sh1.2 billion.
At the TICAD meeting, Kenya will be seeking to strengthen its bilateral relations as well as consolidate cooperation with Japan in various sectors of the economy.
Hinged on the theme of ‘Advancing Africa’s Development through People, Technology and Innovation”, TICAD 7 provides an opportunity for Kenya to engage directly with Japanese investors.
The Kenyan delegation to TICAD 7 is also focused on optimizing the resources available in Japan for the delivery of the Big 4 Agenda in all areas including in Agriculture, Affordable Housing, Universal Health Coverage and Manufacturing.
TICAD 7 builds on TICAD 6, the first-ever Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) on African soil that Kenya hosted in Nairobi three years ago in September 2016.
Apart from showcasing Kenya’s growth and exposing Japan to available areas of cooperation in trade and investment, TICAD 6 also facilitated a high-level policy dialogue between African leaders and Africa’s development partners on issues regarding growth, sustainable development, security, peace and stability. TICAD 7 will review the progress made on these issues and chart the way forward.
Launched by Japan in 1993 to promote Africa’s development, TICAD has over the years grown into a major global and multilateral forum for mobilizing and sustaining international support for Africa’s development under the principles of Africa ownership and international partnership.
