At the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9) in August 2025, the Japanese government put forward the "Indian Ocean-Africa Economic Zone Initiative." It aims to support Africa's regional integration and industrial development in cooperation with Indian Ocean countries, while expanding trade and investment between Japanese companies and Africa.
To put the initiative into practice, JICA is conducting a fact-finding and confirmation survey. The forum shares the survey's findings with Japanese companies, introduces the government's approach to supporting their expansion, and invites participants' views.
The program includes a keynote on Africa's market growth and the challenges of entering it, an interim survey report, and a panel discussion with Japanese companies already active in Africa. A networking session with speakers and related organizations follows. In-person attendance is expected to be around 50 Japanese companies, and the event is held in Japanese.
Key points
- Three-part program: keynote, interim survey report and panel discussion
- Hybrid in-person and online format, free of charge
- A networking session with speakers and related organizations follows
Why We Recommend This Event
Economic ties with Africa also shape local jobs and how industries grow. For anyone interested in international cooperation, the forum offers a look at how development assistance and private-sector efforts are being connected.
Opportunities to hear directly from companies that have already entered Africa are rare. For companies and organizations considering the region, it is a chance to take part in concrete discussions.
Editor's comment
International cooperation is often pictured as a relationship between those who give and those who receive, but approaches that grow together through business partnerships and investment are drawing more attention. This forum looks like a good chance to learn about that trend.
In-person participation is mainly aimed at Japanese companies, but details on how to apply and eligibility are available on JICA's official page. Please take a look if you are interested.