The seventh Tokyo International Conference on Africa Development (TICAD 7) summit, with the theme “Advancing Africa’s Development through People, Technology and Innovation,” has started in Yokohama, Japan today.
Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed, who is attending the summit, underscored on the need for sustainable private sector participation to ensure continued economic growth in both Ethiopia and the rest of Africa.
He also raised the role of regional integration and the recently embarked reforms particularly in Ethiopia as keys also for economic leap in the long run.
He said expanding space for the participation of the private sector is important to ensure sustainability of economic growth, including to address socio-economic and environmental challenges.
“Ethiopia is reforming its laws and policies in ways that can remove investment barriers,” he noted.
Earlier Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, in his opening address, praised the peace accord between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
“Peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea is a major breakthrough in heralding normalization in the Horn of Africa,” he said.
Commenced in 1993 to promote Africa’s development, TICAD has over the years grown into a major global and multilateral forum for mobilizing and sustaining international support for Africa’s development.