JETRO Topics
TICAD7 official side event "Japan-Africa Business Expo" organized by JETRO
August 2019
From August 28 to 30, JETRO convened the Japan-Africa Business Expo as an official side event of the 7th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD7) which was held in Yokohama.
The expo consisted of four zones. At the "Japan Fair," the allures and potential of Japanese industries were publicized through Japanese products, technologies and services. At the "Africa Lounge," "Event Stage" and "Africa Alliance" zones, the latest information and opportunities for multifaceted business exchange were provided toward Japanese companies with interest in African business.
The expo was visited by a total of approximately 21,000 people over three days, an indication of rising business momentum between Africa and Japan.
Welcoming world leaders
Numerous world leaders and ranking officials as well as business people from both Africa and Japan paid a visit to the Business Expo. This included President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi of Egypt and Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly of Côte d’Ivoire from the African side, and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe; Agriculture Minister Takamori Yoshikawa; Minister in Charge of Information Technology Policy and Minister of State Takuya Hirai; State Minister Yoshihiro Seki of Economy, Trade and Industry; and State Minister Masahisa Sato of Foreign Affairs from the Japanese side.
An opening ceremony and a reception were held in the evening of the first day. Special guest remarks were delivered by Deputy Chairman Jacko Maree of the South Africa-based Standard Bank Group, on behalf of African private companies, and Ichiro Aizawa, Chairman of the Japan-AU Parliamentary Friendship Association, on behalf of Japan, to celebrate the opening of the Business Expo.
A walk-around by President El-Sisi and Prime Minister Abe
Sake cask breaking ceremony
A record high 156 domestic enterprises, including 81 SMEs, exhibit in Japan Fair
Japan Fair was joined by 156 enterprises from 27 prefectures. This was the largest-ever scale for an event related to Africa organized by JETRO in Japan. Compared to the Japan Fair at TICAD VI in Nairobi, this was an increase of more than 1.6 times for enterprises in total, and three times for SMEs in particular, indicating the widened interest in doing business in Africa among Japanese companies. JETRO received the following praise from participants: "It was a fruitful opportunity for us to talk with African leaders and company executives whom we usually cannot meet in person," and "We were able to find new sales channels to Africa through this event."
Venue of Business Expo
Promoting the allures and potential of African business
Through individual booths at the Africa Lounge, 45 African countries introduced their individual environments for investment and business. On the Event Stage at the front of the venue, presentations were delivered by cabinet members from African countries and executives from investment promotion agencies on various themes—agriculture, infrastructure, development of natural resources and human resources, healthcare and ICT—to communicate the allures and potential of African business. At the Africa Alliance, France, India, Turkey, the UAE, the UK and the African Development Bank (AfDB) each set up a booth to introduce the potential of business expansion in Africa through collaboration with third countries and other organizations.
Further business exchange is expected between Africa and Japan in the future through the framework of the Japan-Africa Business Expo.
Japan-Africa Business EXPO
| Title | Japan-Africa Business EXPO; TICAD7 official side event |
|---|---|
| Organized by | Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) |
| Supported by |
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan |
| Dates and Time |
August 28-30, 2019（3 days） Wednesday, August 28 11:00-18:00 Thursday, August 29 10:00-18:00 Friday, August 30 10:00-17:00 |
| Venue | PACIFICO Yokohama; Exhibition Hall D (Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture) |
| Venue Space | 6,700 square meters |
| Main Contents | (1)Japan Fair (2)Africa Lounge (3)Event Stage (4)Africa Alliance |
| Subject Visitors | Key government officials such as the leaders and cabinet ministers of Japan and African countries, as well as financiers, members of the press, and business participants |
| Visitor Registration | Required (online prior registration) |
| Admission | Free |
| Number of Visitors | Total of 21,000 |
(1) Japan Fair
| Exhibition Scale | 262 booths |
|---|---|
| By category |
Leading Japanese companies exhibiting their unique products, techniques, and services contribute to sustainable development for African countries. (1) Quality infrastructure (2) Food value chain (3) Climate change (4) Improvement of health issues (5) Sustainable urban development (6) Human resource development (7) Japanese companies activities for Africa |
| Exhibitors | 156 companies/institutions |
(2) Africa Lounge
| Exhibition Scale | 45 booths |
|---|---|
| Contents Overview | Introducing African countries’ latest investment environment to Japanese companies; Networking opportunity with the African delegations and Japanese corporations. |
| Exhibitors |
Embassies of the African countries/Investing institutions （45 exhibiting countries） |
(3) Event Stage
Thirty-one thematic seminars were held by African countries and eight PR seminars by sponsoring companies.
