JAPAN is to provide a total of ¥87bn (about $634 million) in assistance to 26 African countries to address the food crisis and improve health care systems.
The aid package is part of a series of government support measures that were decided from April onwards for African countries in preparation for the Eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), to be held in Tunisia on August 27 and 28 Japan News reported.
TICAD is a triennial conference led by the Japanese government to discuss development and support for Africa. The government hopes to gain momentum by offering proactive support ahead of the conference.
The food situation in many parts of Africa has worsened since February when Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine as many countries are reliant on wheat, corn and other crops from Ukraine. An estimated 30 percent of Africa’s population, or 346 million people, are facing severe food shortages, observers said.
The government therefore decided to provide more than ¥5bn in food aid to 19 countries, including Burundi and Madagascar, according to the report.
On August 10, the government decided to provide ¥400 million to South Sudan, where more than 7.74 million people are facing food shortages, with 87,000 reportedly in a severe state of starvation.
In the area of health and medical systems to strengthen measures against infectious diseases, the government plans to provide about ¥27.5bn to three countries including Senegal. It also will grant about ¥30 billion to Burkina Faso and four other countries to construct new schools, bridges and other facilities.
China has been stepping up its financing drive in Africa through its Belt and Road Initiative, a vision to create a huge economic zone. With this in mind, the government intends to seek African nations’ understanding of the importance of aid transparency.