UNIDO works with Japan to increase investments in Africa

Last year was marked by growing Japanese private sector involvement in Africa, in particular at the Seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD7) hosted by the Government of Japan, as showcased in the recently released Annual Report 2019 of UNIDO Investment and Technology Promotion Office (ITPO) Tokyo. Japanese companies have been increasing their presence in Africa, targeting new business opportunities on the Continent for shared prosperity. In August 2019, the Government of Japan hosted the TICAD7 in Yokohama, Japan, stressing the critical role of the private sector for African development. An exhibition of Japanese technologies and a business matching session organized by UNIDO ITPO Tokyo and attended by Japanese and African companies raised awareness of the business potential, and also planted the seeds of new business partnerships. UNIDO ITPO Tokyo’s team of African investment advisors in Algeria, Ethiopia (covering Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda), Mozambique and Senegal also attended the events and became counterparts to connect both Japanese and African stakeholders.

A success story following TICAD7 belongs to a Japanese ICT start-up, SUCRECUBE JAPON Inc. The company identified a need to bring lighting and Wi-Fi internet connection to un-electrified areas in Senegal, and introduced their “TUMIQUI Smart UHC Kit”, a mobile solar-powered unit, at local clinics in the country, impacting women, the elderly and youth, while positively contributing to a wide range of SDGs. The company joined hands with UNIDO ITPO Tokyo and signed Memorandum of Understanding with Sandiara City in December 2019, which helped establish their subsidiary in a Special Economic Zone, aiming at local assembly and maintenance of the kits for further business expansion in Senegal and West Africa.

For more highlights from UNIDO ITPO Tokyo, refer to the Annual Report 2019 available for download here.

For more information, please see the website of UNIDO ITPO Tokyo here.

For further information, please contact: UNIDO ITPO Tokyo (itpo.tokyo [at] unido.org (itpo[dot]tokyo[at]unido[dot]org))