President Levy Mwanawasa has expressed satisfaction at the outcome of the just ended fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 1V) in the Japanese coastal town of Yokohama.
Dr Mwanawasa said TICAD 1V adopted the Yokohama Declaration which summarises the outcome of the TICAD process over the last 15 years and reiterates the commitment of Japan and other international cooperating partners to African countries.
He added that the conference confirmed the commitment by Japan to put the outcomes of TICAD 1V into the forth coming G8 summit to be held in July this year in Japan.
President Mwanawasa said this in a wrap up statement to ZANIS in Yokohama today, shortly before his departure to China where he has been invited for a one week private visit by his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao.
He explained that TICAD 1V also introduced an action plan that outlines measures to be taken under the TICAD process over the next five years and a follow up mechanism to monitor the implementation and access the impact of TICAD.
Dr. Mwanawasa has since commended all Africa Ambassadors based in Japan for ensuring that the action plan was formulated, saying the development is good as it will entail the establishment of a secretariat that will follow up on what has been agreed upon.
The President further said TICAD 1V reaffirmed the contributions of the TICAD process to African development over the past 15 years and noted its significant role in mobilising the interest and commitment of the international community to African development.
And President Mwanawasa has said Zambia stands to benefit a lot from the participation at the TICAD 1V and the visit to Japan.
He said Zambia is expected to have an increase in bilateral cooperation with Japan, increased interest in Zambian products from Japanese importers and a boost in investment from Japan as well as Asia into the key areas of mining, tourism and agriculture.
Dr Mwanawasa further said Zambia expects to have an improvement in value addition for Zambian products and an increase in Zambian exports to Japan and Asia.
President Mwanawasa also disclosed to the Zambian journalists that he held bilateral talks and exchanged views with Japanese Prime minister, Yasuo Fukuda, Tanzania President, Jakaya Kikwete, Rwandan President Paul Kagame and former Japanese Prime minister Yoshiro Mori.
He told the journalists that the Zambian cabinet ministers in the Presidential delegation also held meetings with representatives of the Japanese business community and officials from Japanese government agencies.
He said the ministers held meetings with the Japanese External Trade Organisation, (JETRO), the Japan Oil Gas and Metals National Corporation, Toyota Tsusho and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Global Aids Fund.
The President explained that the ministers also discussed the development of oil in Zambia.
Dr. Mwanawasa however expressed worry that the exploration works on the mines in Zambia were taking long.
“They are moving too slow, we want the resources to be explored and we must know when we are going to explore this oil, at least before I live office I should see the results,” he said.
Other side events at the TICAD IV included the Zambia Business Seminar held in Tokyo under the theme ‘Focus on Mining, Energy Resources and Tourism’.
The event which was co-sponsored by JETRO, JOGMEG and the Zambian embassy in Japan attracted more than 100 participants from the Japanese business houses.
Meanwhile, President Mwanawasa says most African countries who participated at the just ended TICAD IV welcomed Japan’s offer to double development assistance to Africa and acknowledged the contribution of the TICAD process to African development over the past 15 year.
He added that the African participants also welcomed the addition of an action plan and follow up mechanism to the TICAD process.
He further explained that African countries also welcomed the intention by the Japanese government to take advantage of its position as Chair of the G8 to reflect the outcome of TICAD IV at the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit scheduled for July, this year.
The Fourth Tokyo International Conference on Africa Development, (TICAD IV), which was held in Yokohama, Japan from May 28 to 30, attracted 52 Heads of State and ministers, 74 international and regional organisations, 34 partner countries, members of the G8 and Asian countries and representatives from the private sector and civil society organisations.
TICAD IV, which was held under the theme ‘Towards a Vibrant Africa: Continent of Hope and Opportunity’ aimed at mobilising knowledge and resources from the international community in the areas of boosting economic growth, ensuring human security and addressing environmental issues such as climate change.
Another camcorder in the bag. lol
To be honest, Fukuda’s main focus is to provide loans to Africa and lure them back in the “choke hold” of the “undertaker”. They will bleed to death with soft loans. Japan is envying the growth of africa by trading with China so they want to hook africans back in the chains. BECAREFUL africa!! BEWARE of Japan! The Japanes will never ever set up manufacturing ventures in Africa. Never!! Never!!!!!!! The arguement advanced is that the risk is too high and so Fukuda wants ti set up a trade insurance pact for Japanese businessmen. Have u heard of the same pact for Malay ppl? For Chinese? Ever heard of a business investment capital of $2.5million (equal to 50 Cents’ house). So stupid!
Japan is the biggest liar in Asia and If I had a chance to warn Mr Mwanawasa I would do it in person. Japan wants a slot in the UN Security Council. They want to promote the Kyoto Protocol on reducing green house gases. These two issues are the main pushers for this high-end drivel from Japan. The envy for China’s economic investments is just a catalyst for Mr Fukuda’s rumblings. Yes, we want infrastructure without which economic growth is a pipedream. Japan is touching a nerve wire, they know how to dribble but NOT for free. A hard loan or soft loan is one and the same thing. DEBT!!! I would rather we direct investments in dollars and grow with time to build our own infrastructure. Japan?No
Foreign direct investments (FDIs)from Nigeria, for example, exceeds Japan’s capital for the investment project, a paltry US2.5m. Did I read right? Shame! The investment from La’Farge to build a cement manuf. plant is worth US$100 million!! The investment from India for a sugar plant is worth US$200! These guys will need raw materials to expand their businesses. Zambia must use its proceedings from the mines to construct toll roads, yes toll roads or highways which will be self-sustaining. In most developed countries highways are self-sustaining! You don’t need STUPID loans from Japan, no! After all, the Japanese will be used to build such roads using raw Japanese equipments and engineers.
I hate this cycle of econmic events in Zambia, we don’t ever seem to learn. It is a culture of deception, a propaganda from the G8 that they will help us with soft loans for stupid power stations, roads and schools. We borrowed before and yes we built the infrastructure but failed to pay back because we had not capacity to generate revenue through manufacturing. Please!! To make a positive difference, stay away from bilateral loans with any one of these G8 countries. The IMF uses such data to rate us and kill us! So: we receive a loan of US$100m, we must hire Kojima, which brings it’s own ppl. Skills in our midst are not developed, we build the road without skills and capital to maintainthem
President Mwanawasa is happy.Does an ordinally Zambian know what is in these deals.What about the members of pariament,those who represent us have they raised any question why Japan would give tax payers money of its citizens to people of other nations.Are they so kind to really help us.China made 73.5 billion dollars in 2007 out of africa(Zambia) Japan made 26.6 billion.Japan is offering our African head of states only 4 billion dollers.Some of our leaders feel glory to shake hands with certain people.They are blinded to all else but to see them with leaders of Japan,China etc.Inferiority at its best.In years to come Zambia will have a famine when all natural resources are depleted.
#3 confused.
you are right we must say no to such loans.AS you say we must build with time on our own until we get there.Our leaders just need to learn how to save and after time use the savings for bigger projects.We do not need Japan because Japan in all sense and reason cannot be there for us but for its people.And such agreements makes only the president happy because he has no power within him to disagree even when the deal is dad.However there are people who can not say know to others because they feel diadvantaged,all they will say is yes,yes and yes.
TICAD IV???? “Towards a Vibrant Africa: Continent of Hope and Opportunity’ whose hope and opportunity is this, africa has been sleeping, as the developed countries have continued to rape it of its resources and creating hope and opportunity for themselves, wtach out levy and your fellow global trotters. As they say there is never nothing in life like “a free lunch in life, come please”
what hurts me the most is that those of you in the know do not take time and effort to explain to us all the implications of these summits or whatever you call them.why even hold the meeting in japan and not any part of africa? our “leaders” are a great failure. i pity their lack of national pride. japan wants afica, japan should come to africa. that is what any proud leader would say. mwanawasa is happy coz he knows whats in it for him and his tree.
LPM is so impressionable that my two year old can do better with new situations. What are the expected benefits to the vast majority of Zambians from this meeting he had in Japan other than his having Sushi?
what this GRZ must do is to give us Zambians, a break down of the expected direct benefits from this lavish meeting. Too often LPM and Mutati have gone to attend meetings and all we get at the end of it all are fatter GRZ officials and their wives! Time that we had the vast majority of our citizens benefit from these endless meetings. We need the benefits to be quantified in USD terms so that we can start keeping a book of accounts on these benefits.
What Zambians must also demand in addition to the estimated and quantified benefits from this meeting, is a printout of all deliberations to be published in The Post and The Mirror so that all our citizens can have a read to understand that there is truly transparency and that we are not being sold of as done in the past by both Chiluba and LPM when selling off our resources.