Conference on Japanese-African economic cooperation to begin

By FRANCESCA EBEL
Associated Press

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — African heads of state, representatives of international organizations and private business leaders are in Tunisia for the eighth iteration of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development. The Japanese government created the triennial event in 1993 to promote growth and security in Africa. Economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, a food security crisis worsened by Russia’s war in Ukraine, and climate change are some of the topics expected to define the two-day conference starting Saturday. While 30 African heads of state and government planned to attend the event, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is attending remotely. He tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the summit.