Japan PM Kishida Sounds Africa In Runup to G7 Summit
From 30 April to 4 May 2023, Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida undertook a four-nation tour of Africa which took his delegation to Egypt, Ghana, Mozambique and Kenya. On the way back to Japan, a stopover in Singapore was also part of this official sortie.
The tour aims not only to reinforce Japan-Africa ties but also to survey the opinion of the African continent in preparation of the #G7 Summit which is scheduled to kick off soon in Hiroshima on 19 May 2023. In particular, Japan attempted to rally the support of Africa against Russia in the war in Ukraine. The mammoth task was an uphill battle given Russia’s long-standing and close ties with several African countries.
In view of #RisingAfrica, it is worth noting that the #AU has been invited to the 49th #G7 Summit hosted by Japan. Previously, only South Africa was invited as an observer to the #G7 Summit.
During his visit to Mozambique, PM Kishida proposed converting old #LNG tankers into floating LNG production plants. This project would help Tokyo phase out import of Russian oil and gas while allowing Mozambique to enhance #LVA for its natural gas resources.
In Kenya, Kishida expressed interest to further explore financing in geothermal energy. Currently, Mitsubishi and Hitachi are the main suppliers and contractors at the Olkaria Geothermal Complex which was financed by #JICA and #EIB. In the same line of thought, Kenya is expected to host the African Summit on #ClimateChange in September 2023.
Being on the shores of the Indian Ocean, Kenya is considered as a key partner in the Free and Open Indo-Pacific (#FOIP) strategy first put forward by Japan. Kenyan President Ruto invited Japanese companies to set up factories in the Dongo Kundu #SEZ near the Mombasa seaport. As part of the masterplan, the #SGR line will be eventually extended to link up Mombasa with landlocked states of Uganda, South Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi and DR Congo.
Japan and India are proposing AAGC as an alternative to China’s BRI. Japan has also pledged USD 30B at TICAD 2022 for Africa in a bid to counterbalance China’s USD 40B announced at FOCAC 2021.
In collaboration with India, Japan is promoting its Asia-Africa Growth Corridor (#AAGC) as an alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (#BRI). During #TICAD 2022, Japan pledged USD 30 billion over the next three years compared to the USD 40 billion officially announced by China during #FOCAC 2021.
During this tour, PM Kishida pledged another USD 500 million over the next three years to promote Peace and Stability as per the #AU’s priority to ‘Silence the Guns.’ In talks with African leaders, he in fact proposed #EnergySecurity and #FoodSecurity as two major areas of cooperation between Japan and Africa given current challenges exacerbated by the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
Japanese PM Fumio Kishida reiterated the willingness of Japan to act as the intermediary between the #GlobalSouth and #G7. Through this visit to Africa, Japan wishes to show that it has at heart the interest of African countries. PM Kishida also confirmed Japanese support to push for reforms at the #UNSC and for Africa to have a greater say in #GlobalGovernance.