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The Meaning of the Recent TICAD Summit for Africa’s Development Future

TICAD

Hand in Hand with a More Dynamic Africa

The recently concluded Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD-V), held under the theme, "Hand in Hand with a More Dynamic Africa- Transformation for Quality Growth," raises some interesting questions about Africa's future development prospects and about identifying the motivations of different external partners in Africa's structured relationships. TICAD-V marked the 20th anniversary of the partnership between Japan and African countries since the initiative was first launched in 1993 to act as a mechanism for Japan-Africa engagement on social and economic issues.

There was a great deal of publicity around the recent meeting, as it was attended by 51 African states and 35 other partner countries. Japan's gesture in announcing 3.2 trillion yen in aid to Africa was emphatic and signaled a strong intent of taking the relations between the two countries to a higher level. The aid figure includes the amount to be spent by both public and private institutions towards private sector development, infrastructure, agriculture development, human capital development, and health system capacity on the continent.

The African Union Commission, United Nations Development Program, and World Bank were part of this multi-day event. Since TICAD was first established in 1993, other forms of engagement between the African continent and external partners have also come to life. These include the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), the India-Africa Summit, and the Korea Africa Economic Cooperation Conference. Through these mechanisms, external partners have sought to reorient relations with Africa away from emphasis on traditional aid disbursement, but to also deepen commercial relations. Courting Africa holds value for burnishing the global diplomatic credentials of major economic players, such as Japan, and those of emerging economies, such as China and India.

Renewed Partnership between Japan and Africa

Growing partnerships between external actors and the African continent are also a response to Africa's changing economic landscape, whose outlines are no longer defined solely by images of hunger, strife, and hopelessness. Africa is becoming perceived as a place which  offers boundless commercial opportunities in the form of its vast natural resources, young population, and growing consumer class. As such, the continent has become a new frontier for competitive bidding by actors who want a piece of its economic potential.

The latest TICAD-V summit produced wide-ranging outcomes that are encapsulated in the Yokohama Declaration 2013. Six areas of commitment were agreed upon which would constitute the cornerstone of future engagement between Japan and Africa. These include promoting private sector-led growth; accelerating infrastructure development; empowering farmers; promoting sustainable and resilient growth; creating an inclusive society for growth; and consolidating peace, stability and good governance. It was clear in the tone of the declaration that there is a recognition between both actors that the more traditional forms of engagement that only focus on aid are a weak basis of structuring sustained bilateral relations, and that more needs to be done if Africa is to realize its developmental ambitions. Themes such as infrastructure development and private sector-led growth as a catalyst for Africa's advancement were central features of the deliberations.

Indeed, the major challenges the continent has battled with in the past have to do with weak private sector activity, low levels of intra-African trade, human capital deficiencies, and serious infrastructure backlog. The condition of the roads is poor, making it difficult to transport tradable goods. Customs processes are generally opaque and inefficient. And ports need to be rehabilitated, and with greater efficiencies introduced in managing container cargo. Crucially, human capital development is lagging behind, as levels and quality of education are generally low. It is difficult, if not impossible, to build resilient societies in the absence of these economic enablers.

The Japanese government has thus committed to structure collaborative relations that are comprehensive and pivoted on public-private partnerships and human capital development. The new "Abe Initiative: The Africa Business Education Initiative" announced at TICAD-V provides 1000 African nationals the opportunity to undertake undergraduate and graduate studies in Japan. Unlike the more general capacity-building programs, TICAD-V has placed emphasis on developing human resources that match the expectation of Japan's private sector. In addition, Japan has also sought to differentiate itself from other actors that are involved in the Africa's commercial space for the purposes of extracting natural resources by underscoring Africa's industrialization and adding value to the continent's commodities as core areas that signify its commercial interests.

Since China accelerated its diplomatic and commercial involvement in the African continent many major economies have heightened their involvement so as not to miss out on the continent's economic resurgence. Countries, such as Japan, that have ambitions to gain a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) likely view their largesse to Africa as part of enhancing their diplomatic profile and as an investment that could yield dividends in the form of Africa's support for their own ambitions. Japan's renewed efforts in the African continent should also be seen as an important pillar of its commercial diplomacy. This is especially so given the emphasis that TICAD-V places on the private sector engagement.

Some Benefits for Africa in the TICAD Process

The TICAD process has seen both Japanese aid and foreign direct investment to Africa double as a result of the commitments made in the previous TICAD-IV. There is no doubt that well-structured engagement between Africa and external partners has a potential to offer tangible benefits for the continent's growth and development.

In order to make these engagements worthwhile and fruitful to the African economy, African countries will need to develop their own agency power. This should include better clarity on what the continent's strategic priorities are and how to advance these when interacting with external actors. African countries would also need to intensify their own cooperation so as to be better prepared to advance a shared objective when dealing with external actors. A divided continent would not be in a position to maximize benefits that partnerships with other influential countries and regions could yield.

While these partnerships are very important for the continent, there is also the possibility that many of these commitments could just be paper commitments if there are no properly structured tools to measure progress, and if African countries are merely passive recipients rather than active drivers of these processes. In addition, since there are a diverse range of similar initiatives between the African continent and other partners, for example China, India, and Korea, duplication of efforts is possible. It is important that these processes are managed in a manner that contributes more meaningfully in existing development programmes in the continent.

African leaders also need to be cognizant of the fact that commitments that come out of these summits cannot provide the African continent with all of its development solutions. As such, external partnerships should be viewed as only playing a supporting role to Africa's own developmental plans. What would make these more sustainable in the long term is if conditions for democracy and greater accountability of African leaders by Africans improve; governance systems are strengthened; and civil society thrives. In the end Africa's people should be the main beneficiaries of these new forms of partnerships with external actors.

 

By Dr. Mzukisi Qobo and Ms Nokubulela Lindani.

Mzukisi Qobo is senior lecturer in the department of political sciences at the University of Pretoria, and the deputy head at the center for the study of governance innovation (GovInn). Ms Nokubulela Vuyo Lindani is a researcher in the department of political sciences, University of Pretoria. They both work on projects related to emerging powers and global governance, Africa's development, and South Africa's foreign policy.

Photo credits to GovernmentZA on Flickr, used under creative commons.

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