Japan called on the private sector to increase investments in Africa, at the ongoing Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development, or TICAD 9, on Thursday.

"We will promote the expansion of Japanese companies (into Africa) and the development of local industries (on the continent)," said former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, acting chair of the conference, which runs for three days through Friday in Yokohama.

"It's more important than ever to leverage the energy of the private sector for the sustainable development of Africa, amid growing demand for funding to address social and economic challenges," Kishida noted.