Photo/Illutration A news conference is held after the previous TICAD meeting held in Yokohama in 2019. (Photo by Satoru Senba)

Africa was once divvied up by European colonial powers. During the Cold War era, the continent got caught up in the confrontation between East and West.

Now, Africa faces the risk of falling victim to international conflict in an increasingly polarized world. Continued aid focused on protecting the lives and livelihoods of its people is vitally important for the struggling continent.

Leaders of more than 50 African countries and representatives of international organizations will discuss the challenges facing Africa and its future during the two-day Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), to be held Aug. 27-28 in Tunisia.

The conference was first held in 1993 under Japan’s initiative and this year’s gathering is the eighth installment.

Africa’s population is projected to hit 2.5 billion in 2050, accounting for a quarter of the global population. The average age of the population hovers around 24. The region’s abundant and vibrant labor force attracted foreign investors to what was labeled “the last big market.”

But Africa’s fortunes began to wane after the TICAD meet in Yokohama three years ago. The region was then hit by the COVID-19 pandemic as well as rising energy prices and food shortages due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Africa’s economy is showing signs of weakening after years of healthy growth.

The ratio of people living below the poverty line of $1.90 per day took an upturn in 2020 after a period of steady improvement. Per capita gross domestic product in Sub-Saharan Africa fell back to 2008 levels last year. Many countries in the region depend on imports of wheat from Russia and Ukraine and are at risk of plunging into a full-blown food crisis.

Per capita wealth in Africa inevitably declines unless its economy expands at least on a par with its population growth. Having a huge number of unemployed workers will inevitably trigger social unrest. The continent’s young population, which was seen as its main asset, must not be allowed to turn into its liability.

It is crucial to support the foundation of the African people’s livelihoods through aid to enhance health care systems, expand food production and raise the quality of education. Expansion of private-sector investment is indispensable for job growth.

Japan has a strong record of providing effective aid to Africa. Medical institutions that Japan has been supporting in Ghana and Kenya played leading roles in the countries’ efforts to deal with the pandemic. Japan’s these support to local health care systems will become even more effective if the scope of aid is expanded to cover the entire continent.

Tokyo’s aid program to help promote rice production in Africa, begun in 2008, has already produced remarkable results. Rice production doubled in the first 10 years of the program. The government should continue providing steady aid to achieve the target of increasing rice output to 56 million tons by 2030. That will help diversify the food supply in Africa and reduce its dependence on wheat and maize.

The fear is that Africa will be seriously affected by conflict between the U.S.-Europe bloc and the China-Russia camp.

Many African nations have not followed the Western democracies in denouncing and punishing Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine. Only about half of the African members of the United Nations voted for resolutions to condemn Russia. We should be alarmed by how Russia and China have been strengthening their ties with Africa through military and economic aid, respectively.

It would be too simplistic, however, to link Japan’s aid policy and plans concerning Africa to these developments.

The TICAD’s key principle is to respect Africa’s own wishes. This is the program’s core competitive advantage, which will help bolster Japan’s credibility with people in the continent over the long run.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Aug. 27