TICAD IV

Japan, with the United Nations, co-hosted the fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD IV) in Yokohama, on May 28-30. TICAD was first launched in 1993, for the purpose of promoting high-level policy dialogue--between the leaders of African countries, donor countries, inter-governmental aid organization, and NGOs--in enhancing development in Africa .

TICAD IV was attended by leaders from 51 African countries and 71 inter-governmental institutions, non-governmental organizations, eminent individuals, and representatives from 31 partner countries. This 3-days conference was concluded with a declaration--"The Yokohama Declaration"--that spells out an action plan for the next five years: in enhancing economic growth; in ensuring human security (including the achievement of Millennium Development Goals; and in addressing environmental issues and climate change.

More specifically, "The Yokohama Action Plan" emphasizes on the following priority areas:

First, importance of improving physical infrastructure, the role of trade, investment and tourism, strengthening agriculture and rural development to boost economic growth in African countries.

Second, promotion of community development for income generation, capacity building in education and health, and consolidation of peace in conflict areas, and good governance, in which the progress in these areas will become the foundation for achieving Millennium Development Goals in Africa continent.

Third, African countries need to promote environmental-friendly policy for mitigating and adapting to climate change. At the same time, African countries needs to enhance their efforts in reducing green house gas emissions by adapting the Clean Development Mechanism, and also to collaborate with Japan in participating "Cool Earth Promotion Program." Furthermore, improving water and sanitation in African countries is also a priority for promoting sustainable development.

In order to realize the goals set forth in "The Yokohama Action Plan," African leaders and their counterparts from countries and organizations endorse a broad partnership framework in implementing their activities for creating a vibrant African. This broad framework encompasses Asia-Africa cooperation, intra-Africa cooperation, public-private partnership, African development frontiers, and dialogue with civil society.

Prime Minister Fukuda Yasuo, in his opening address, pledges that the government of Japan will double its ODA amount to African countries by 2012. In addition, he also re-affirms Japan's commitment in promoting economic growth by providing up to US$4 billion of soft loans for the construction of infrastructure in Africa continent. In tandem, he also confirms that Japan will set up a new scheme known as Facility for African Investment in promoting and financing businesses in African countries. This facility will provide US$2.5 billions over the next 5 years.

Fukuda's pledges to African countries are impressive. Particularly, the emphasis on the importance of infrastructure in promoting economic growth signifies an alternative pro-growth approach in Africa. Japanese experiences in promoting infrastructure development in East Asia in the past decades indeed provide a lot of optimism in this approach for economic cooperation. Notwithstanding, there are at least three lines of critics on Japan's pledges.

The first group of critics claims that Japan's financial resources may not necessary trickle down to the people at large who are in dire need to improve their living conditions. The second strand of critics contends that Japanese money and its targeted priorities may marginalize the role of civil society organizations and international NGOs that are active in promoting development in Africa. The last category of critics, which come mainly from the Japanese themselves, strongly argues that Japan does not has the luxury in helping the development in other countries for Japan is facing a lot of financial constraints in coping with its own domestic problems such as support for its aging society, revitalization of its economy.

These critics have their merits. Thus, in order to prove them otherwise, it is vital for Japanese government and its citizens to create a set of visible mechanisms--but must be acceptable both in and outside Japan--that will monitor, assess and verify the cost and benefit, and the progress of their assistance to African countries. Failing which the critics, particularly the Japanese tax payers--will come back to say--"I told you so," and consequently making international development cooperation unpopular in Japan.