'Japan Boosts Financial Support for African Development' - Voice of America

By William Eagle, Voice of America

This article first appeared on Voice of America news.

[caption id="attachment_2569" align="aligncenter" width="640"] The Ambassador of Japan in Benin - Taken under commons from Flickr user AfricaRice[/caption]

In June, Japan made a five-year commitment of $32 billion dollars in public and private funding to Africa.  It will be used in areas prioritized as necessary for growth by the Fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (or TICAD). Japan's new pledge is nearly four times larger than its last commitment to the group.

The plan of action is ambitious.

Japanese funds will help in a number of areas, including trade, infrastructure, private sector development, health and education, good governance and food production.

Boosting agricultural production

TICAD wants African agriculture to grow by five percent a year and double the output of one crop that's also a main food source and cultural symbol for Japan: rice.
Tokyo has years of experience working to improve rice production, not only in Asia but in Africa as well.

It has worked with partners to build new irrigation systems and to improve extension services.   In East Africa, Japan helped fund a six million dollar training and research center for rice at Uganda's National Crop Research Institute. It will help teach farmers about new technologies and production skills.

To continue reading, visit Voice of America News. Wilson Center Northeast Asia Associate Shihoko Goto is quoted further into the article.