Yokohama, Japan has been selected as the host city for the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9) which will be held in 2025. This decision, announced on August 8 by Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, marks the first time the location for TICAD has been chosen through a public competition process, highlighting a recognition of the significance of Yokohama’s role in fostering global partnerships and its dedication to pursuing mutual economic and cultural development with Africa.
Yokohama’s connection with TICAD runs deep, having previously hosted the conference three times in 2008, 2013, and 2019. In fact, since 2008’s TICAD 4, Yokohama has been the only Japanese city to host this prestigious event, which acts as an international forum for dialogue on African development among heads of state and other leaders, and brings visitors from around the world to the host city, including delegations from African countries and other international organizations. Yokohama’s relationship with TICAD between has cemented Yokohama’s reputation as a bridge between African cities and Japan, which has led to it being called the “closest city to Africa,” a moniker that resurfaced in a recent speech by the Ambassador of the Republic of Tunisia to Japan.
Yokohama’s connection to Africa extends beyond TICAD as well, as evidenced by the city’s long-standing collaboration initiatives with rapidly developing cities in Africa through which Yokohama has shared its technologies and expertise learned from overcoming its own urbanization problems, including water supply, waste management, port operations, wildlife conservation, health/hygiene, and urban development. Yokohama has sent its own municipal workers to cities across Africa including Kenya and Malawi since 1976 to support local infrastructure, and has sponsored many study tours and training seminars for African workers and officials to visit and learn from Yokohama’s local programs, including via the African Clean Cities Platform (ACCP). Through these collaborations, Yokohama has proven its dedication to strengthening its mutual economic ties with cities across Africa.
Yokohama is also gearing up to introduce an Africa-focused session in its upcoming Y-SHIP 2023 Convention which will be held from November 13-15, 2023, a convention aimed at bringing international innovators and pioneers to Japan and supporting their business endeavors in the Japanese market. This session will serve as a platform to extend an invitation to innovative African startups to explore new avenues of business and growth within Yokohama’s vibrant ecosystem, as well as introducing some of Africa’s most cutting edge technological innovations to an international audience.
In a comment after the announcement of Yokohama being chosen to host TICAD 9, Yokohama Mayor Takeharu Yamanaka noted that TICAD is an important opportunity for all global cities to reflect on various development issues and goals, including green growth and the achievement of the SDGs. He highlighted the importance of Green Transformation (GX), which can achieve both decarbonization and economic growth, and Yokohama’s own goals toward becoming a more sustainable city through GX. Mayor Yamanaka also pointed out that Yokohama will be hosting “GREEN×EXPO 2027”, a major international horticulture exhibition, in 2027, and expressed his hopes that discussions held in Yokohama with African cities on the topic of GX in TICAD 9 will contribute to the further success of later discussions at GREEN EXPO in 2027.
Yokohama’s selection as the host city for TICAD 9 signifies a new chapter in its journey towards further global cooperation with Africa. Yokohama’s history of international connections, experience, and dedication to fostering collaboration make it an ideal setting for discussions aimed at shaping Africa’s future and driving mutual growth. The forthcoming TICAD 9 conference in 2025 will be expected to be a platform where innovative ideas converge, partnerships flourish, and the foundations for a prosperous shared future are laid.
