YOKOHAMA — Leaders from all but one African nation have arrived in Yokohama to attend the three-day Tokyo International Conference on African Development, which kicks off Wednesday to explore ways to promote economic growth and fight poverty.
All 53 African countries except Somalia have sent delegations to Yokohama, including top leaders from 40 countries — either a king, president, vice president or prime minister.
At the outset of TICAD IV, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda will announce new initiatives to help African development, including a pledge to double Japan's official development assistance to ¥200 billion and help double private-sector investment to ¥340 billion over the next five years.