TOKYO DECLARATION ON AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT
"TOWARDS THE 21ST CENTURY"
We, the participants of the Tokyo International Conference on African
Development (TICAD), consisting of African countries and Africa's development
partners, declare with one voice our continued dedication to the development of
Africa towards a new era of prosperity. We, therefore, solemnly adopt the
present Declaration, in the firm belief that it will serve to strengthen an
emerging new partnership for sustainable development of Africa based on
self-reliance of African countries and the support of Africa's development
partners.
    Background
    Africa's economic and social crises of the 1980s highlighted the development
    challenges faced by this continent. To address these challenges, many
    African countries have embarked on far-reaching political and economic
    reforms. We, the participants of TICAD, are encouraged by signs in recent
    years of both positive macro economic performance and political development
    resulting from those reforms. In so doing, we nevertheless recognize the
    continued fragility and vulnerability of Africa's political and economic
    structures and situations that inhibit the achievement of sustainable
    development. TICAD intends to give further impetus to these reforms, taking
    into account the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in
    the 1990s (UN-NADAF).
    With the end of the cold war, African countries and the international
    community now have an opportunity to share a broader common understanding of
    the need for dynamic development cooperation. The development of the
    continent has emerged as an imperative in our search for a better future.
    While special consideration should be given to obstacles confronting Africa,
    we are determined to strengthen our collective forward-looking efforts for
    the development of the continent. This has been the spirit in which we have
    conducted our deliberations on the issues central to sustainable development
    in Africa.
    These issues include the ongoing process of simultaneous political and
    economic reforms, the necessity of increased private-sector participation in
    domestic economic activity, the promotion of regional cooperation and
    integration, and the detrimental effects of humanitarian emergencies on
    Africa's socio-economic development. We recognize that the Asian experience
    of economic development and the catalytic role of international cooperation
    offer hope and provide a challenge for African economic transformation.

    Political and Economic Reforms
    Convinced of the advent of a new international era, we, the African
    participants, reaffirm our commitment to pursue and further strengthen
    political and economic reforms, in particular democratization, respect for
    human rights, good governance, human and social development, and economic
    diversification and liberalization. To achieve sustainable, broad-based
    economic growth, we, the participants of TICAD, believe that more open,
    accountable and participatory political systems are vital, including a
    stronger role for civil society. We recognize that political, economic and
    social reforms must be initiated and carried out by African countries
    themselves, based on their visions, values and individual socio-economic
    background. Africa's development partners should therefore support African
    initiatives in these areas.
    We, the participants of TICAD, recognize that simultaneous implementation of
    political and economic reforms, while conducive to development, may often
    entail painful transition processes. The interaction between political and
    economic reforms, which over time should be mutually reinforcing, is a
    complicated process which requires support to bring about progress. We,
    Africa's development partners, reaffirm our commitment to providing priority
    support to countries undertaking effective and efficient political and
    economic reforms. We, the participants of TICAD, also reaffirm our
    commitment to enhancing constructive dialogue to facilitate the reform
    processes.
    We, the African participants, reaffirm our commitment to improving the
    quality of governance, in particular, transparency and accountability in
    public administration. We recognize that criteria for public expenditure
    should aim at enhancing overall socio-economic development and reducing
    non-productive expenditures. The building of human and institutional
    capacities for sustainable development is essential for all of these
    objectives. We commit ourselves to creating the enabling environment for
    training, retaining, and effective utilization of human resources and
    improving institutional capacities. We, Africa's development partners, will
    enhance our support for African capacity-building, including improved
    technical assistance.
    We, the participants of TICAD, reaffirm that structural adjustment
    programmes should take more actively into consideration the specific
    conditions and requirements of individual countries. We reiterate that
    political and economic reforms should ultimately lead to the alleviation of
    poverty and enhanced welfare of the entire population. To that effect,
    structural adjustment programmes should contain, more than in the past,
    measures to improve the access of the poor in particular to income-earning
    opportunities and to effective social services, while seeking to shield them
    as far as possible from adverse social consequences. Increased priority
    should be given to investment in human capital through nutrition, health and
    education programmes, especially to improve the situation of women and
    children, Additionally, noting that the overall economic development in
    African has not kept pace with Africa's rapid population growth, we
    recognize the importance of should population policies and call upon African
    Governments and the international community to address this issue within the
    socio-economic development process.
    Economic Development through Activities of the Private Sector
    The private sector is vital as an engine for sustainable development. We,
    the participants of TICAD, agree that though foreign aid has an impact on
    development, its role is only supplementary in magnitude and catalytic in
    nature. We recognize that a workable and practical cooperation between
    government and the private sector is a key factor for development. A climate
    of trust between these two actors should be encouraged and interaction
    promoted. We realize that political and economic stability is a prerequisite
    to commitments for long-term investments.
    We, the African participants, are determined to continue policies which
    foster a greater role for the private sector and which encourage
    entrepreneurship. While stepping up deregulation measures, we will provide
    and maintain, in cooperation with our development partners, physical
    infrastructure and viable administrative, legal, and financial institutions.
    We consider in general the informal sector as a source of vitality for
    African economies which deserves support in order to further mobilize
    entrepreneurial capacity, generate employment, and facilitate the transition
    into the formal economy.
    We, the participants of TICAD, are convinced that further improvements in
    financial systems and practices are needed to stimulate domestic savings
    investment, and to prevent and reverse capital flight.
    In support of these efforts, we, Africa's development partners, shall
    continue to provide assistance in order to improve the enabling environment
    which requires economic reforms and privatization, the building of human and
    institutional capacities, and the development of financial intermediation.
    We recognize the importance of appropriate insurance and guarantee schemes
    to protect private enterprises investing in Africa from political and
    economic risks.
    We, the African participants, affirm the central importance of international
    trade to our future development prospects. We, Africa's development
    partners, will work to facilitate market access for African products
    globally and to assist in upgrading and diversifying African exports. We,
    the participants of TICAD, support the vital role of private associations
    such as the African Business Round-Table and confirm the usefulness of
    investment-and trade-promotion initiatives within Africa and between Africa
    and the rest of the world.
    Regional Cooperation and Integration
    We, the African participants, reaffirm our vision and aspiration for
    ultimate regional integration and cooperation goals as embodies in the Abuja
    Treaty establishing the African Economic Community. We, the participants of
    TICAD, realize that although these goals have been, since the early years of
    independence, a logical development strategy for African countries, most of
    which have small national markets, greater efforts must now be made in
    promoting interregional trade and investment.
    We, the African participants, will ensure that our commitments to regional
    schemes are fully incorporated in our national development plans, policies,
    and programmes.
    We, Africa's development partners, welcome and support the renewed
    commitment to regional cooperation and integration, as has been recently
    demonstrated by African countries. These regional arrangements should
    continue to be consistent with the multilateral open trading system, and
    contribute to trade expansion. We will continue to extend our support to
    African countries efforts aimed at reducing obstacles to integration through
    measures such as reduction of trade and investment barriers and policy
    harmonization, and to viable regional endeavours, particularly in the area
    of infrastructure development and capacity-building. We, the participants of
    TICAD, believe that regional integration should also be pursued by
    encouraging private-sector initiatives, adopting consistent and gradual
    approaches for broadening exchanges and rationalizing existing schemes.
    Emergency Relief and Development
    We, the participants of TICAD, note with great concern that over the last
    two decades, and particularly in recent years, a large number of African
    countries have suffered and are still suffering from natural and man-made
    disasters. The international community has responded generously to these
    situations since the early crises in the 1970s.
    These disasters have constrained development in many African countries,
    destroyed the very basis for development, increased the number of refugees,
    and diverted human and financial resources that otherwise could have served
    development purposes.
    We, the participants of TICAD, realize that man-made disasters are the
    result of a complex interplay of political, economic, and social factors. In
    this context, lack of democratization and respect for human rights and the
    rights of minorities are among the root causes of these disasters.
    We, the participants of TICAD, accept that responsibility for disaster
    prevention and management rests primarily with Africans themselves. We, the
    African participants, are therefore determined to devote our efforts to
    addressing the root causes of these disasters. We also confirm the critical
    role of regional cooperation as demonstrated in the past. We, the
    participants of TICAD, underscore the need to establish effective mechanisms
    for prevention, preparedness, and management of man-made and natural
    disasters in general, and to strengthen food security schemes in particular.
    We therefore welcome the decision of the Organization of African Unity to
    establish the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution
    and pledge our support to strengthen the effective functioning of this
    mechanism. We also reaffirm our willingness to assist victims of disasters,
    and urge the removal of all hindrances to effective distribution of relief
    supplies.
    We, Africa's development partners, having recognized that there is a
    continuum between emergency relief and development, will ensure that the
    humanitarian assistance for the affected communities continues to be
    provided for resettlement, rehabilitation and reconstruction.
    Asian Experience and African Development
    Over the past 30 years, in contrast to Africa, the countries of East and
    South-East Asia have achieved high rates of growth in per capita income. We,
    the participants of TICAD, are mindful that in view of the differing
    international and internal conditions no one model of development can be
    simply transferred from one region to another. Nevertheless, we acknowledge
    some relevance of the Asian experience for African development. The very
    diversity of successful Asian countries gives hope that lessons can be drawn
    for African development.
    We, the participants of TICAD, have noted that as demonstrated by the
    successful examples of the Asian development experience, the backdrop of
    development success lies in the combination of a strong commitment by the
    leadership and the people to economic prosperity, appropriate long-term
    development strategies and functional government administration to pursue
    these strategies coherently.
    We have also noted that the policy factors which contributed to the
    remarkable performance of East and South-East Asia have included:
    (1)the rational application of macro economic policies and
                maintenance of political stability,
                (2)the promotion of agricultural production through
                technological research and innovations as solid basis for
                socio-economic development,
                (3)long-term investment in education and human resource
                development as a priority of development strategy,
                (4)market-friendly and export-led policies to advance and adapt
                modes of production in order to increase opportunities for trade
                and economic growth,
                (5)measures to stimulate domestic savings and capital formation
                by developing financial intermediation and by expansion of
                banking services at the community level,
                (6)policy emphasis on the private sector as an engine of growth
                and development, and
                (7)early implementation of land reform.
 
    We, the participants of TICAD, recognize that development achievement in
    East and South-East Asia have enhanced opportunities for South-South
    cooperation with Africa. We welcome the interest shown by some Asian and
    African countries in promoting this cooperation.
    We, the participants of TICAD, recognize that development achievement in
    East and South-East Asia have enhanced opportunities for South-South
    cooperation with Africa. We welcome the interest shown by some Asian and
    African countries in promoting this cooperation.
    International Cooperation
    We, the participants of TICAD, have concluded that the current situation in
    Africa calls for increased solidarity among us to act in full partnership to
    address this situation. This new partnership should be based on Africa's
    objective to achieve self-reliance on the one hand and responsive support by
    Africa's development partners on the other.
    We, the participants of TICAD, agree that stability and security are
    prerequisites to sustainable development, and that it is essential to make
    efficient use of scarce resources and to minimize military and other
    unproductive expenditures.
    We, the participants of TICAD, realize that development calls for full
    participation by the people at all levels, who should be galvanized toward
    action as agents for progress. In this regard, we acknowledge the dynamic
    and diversified role of African women in various sectors of the economy and
    recommend that special measures be taken to promote their rights and roles
    in order to enhance gender equity and to remove all legal, social and
    cultural barriers for advancement of women. Furthermore, we recognize the
    need to enhance cooperative efforts with local NGOs and other institutions
    of civil society which play constructive roles for African development.
    We, Africa's development partners, will make all efforts to enhance
    development assistance to Africa, despite current global economic
    difficulties. This assistance will be increasingly oriented toward the
    priorities set by African countries. In making commitments to continued and
    enhanced cooperation, we will take into account the expectation of our
    constituencies that resources be spent where they are most efficiently
    utilized for the greatest development impact.
    As African countries are at various stages of development, and have
    different cultural and historical backgrounds, we, Africa's development
    partners may take differentiated approaches as we plan and implement our
    development cooperation, with due regard to aid coordination.
    We, Africa's development partners, will apply a comprehensive approach
    covering aid, trade, debt strategy, and investments. We, the participants of
    TICAD, reaffirm that debt and debt service still pose serious difficulties
    to many African countries. We emphasize the necessity urgently to address
    the debt issue within the overall context of debt relief and flows of new
    financial resources for development. We confirm the validity of the
    international debt strategy and invite the Paris Club to continue reviewing
    the question of debt relief for the poorest highly indebted countries,
    especially with regard to earlier reductions in the stock of debt on a
    case-by-case basis. We urge creditor countries to take into account the
    difficulties that heavily indebted African countries are now facing.
    We, the participants of TICAD, reiterate the importance of a successful
    conclusion to the Uruguay Round of GATT negotiations and will make all
    efforts to remove trade barriers and other trade practices that prevent the
    expansion of African exports, including exports to other African countries.
    We underscore the importance of primary commodities for many African
    countries' export earnings and the need for diversification to reduce the
    volatility of these earnings.
    We, the participants of TICAD, confirm the United Nations Conference on
    Environment and Development (UNCED) agreements should be steadfastly
    implemented, with a special emphasis on balanced relationships among
    agriculture, population, and environment policies, particularly drought and
    desertification.
    We also recognize that many of the gains made in Africa are threatened by
    the HIV/AIDS pandemic and related diseases which are already of a disastrous
    proportion in some countries. There is a need for a much stronger response
    by Africa and its development partners for preventing and controlling these
    diseases, including caring facilities as well as measures addressing its
    socio-economic impacts.

    Follow-up
    We, the participants of TICAD, pledge to take, in our respective spheres of
    responsibility, measures aimed at advancing the spirit of this Declaration
    through effective policies and actions. We have entrusted the three
    co-organizers of TICAD with evaluating and reviewing progress made towards
    the implementation of this Declaration. Ultimately, we intend to hold a
    conference of a similar magnitude and membership at the latest before the
    turn of the century.
 
 

By virtue of the deliberations, guidance and consensus of the Conference, we
believe that prospects for significant development of Africa have been greatly
enhanced.

SECOND TOKYO INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
ON AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT
(TICAD II)
**T. TICAD II
(1) Background
   Japan believes in sub-Saharan African countries' potential and capability and
continues to commit herself to supporting them fully. This commitment is clearly
demonstrated by Japan's ODA to sub-Saharan Africa which amounts to $1.0 `1.3
billion each year (depending on Yen-Dollar exchange rate ).
   Japan's commitment is not only shown in the field of her bilateral
assistance. In October 1993, Japan, together with the United Nations and Global
Coalition for Africa (GCA), organized the First Tokyo International Conference
on African Development (TICAD I). The Conference emphasized the ownership of
sub-Saharan African countries as well as the partnership with the international
community as two important key words for African development. We are pleased to
take some credit for these concepts being developed into The Development
Partnership Strategy adopted by the DAC (Development Assistance Committee) of
OECD and became a common language of the development community. G7 and G8
countries made a firm commitment to the concepts at the Lyon Summit in 1996 and
to translating them into concrete action at the Denver and Birmingham Summits in
1997 and 1998.
   Japan is free from certain aspects of sub-Saharan Africa's history,
especially up to the previous century, and therefore, is in a position to commit
sincerely to sub-Saharan African development and its prosperity. Japan genuinely
believes that as a leading nation she must extend friendly hands to African
people.
(2) TICAD II
   TICAD II, scheduled for October 19-21, 1998, will build on the outcome of
TICAD I and its follow-up activities and will formulate an agenda for action for
African development. Recognizing that ordinary people's initiative and dynamism
push forward the society and history, TICAD II aims to formulate an agenda for
action to improve the lives of the people in such areas as education and
training, health through all life stages, safe water supply, population control
and the empowerment of women, who are not only important social actors but also
have economic potential. These improvements are important for laying the
foundation for democracy, too.
   A new wind is blowing on the African continent and new leaders are now taking
bold steps for the nation-building of their countries. TICAD II will invite
these leaders to help them strengthen sub-Saharan African development and
democracy.
(3) Agenda for Action
   The tentative outline of the Agenda for Action is as follows;
(outline)
**T. Main Message and Key Concepts
    Sub-Saharan Africa, in spite of some positive trends, still suffers from
    poverty and low
    living standard : poverty alleviation and strengthening Africa's
    participation in the global
    economy are vital.
 
    The development of sub-Saharan Africa countries should be based on ownership
    and international partnership.
**U. Approaches and Emphases
    Approaches (1)Strengthening Coordination (among donors and
                international organizations)
                (2)Regional Cooperation (among Sub-Saharan African nations)
                (3)South-South Cooperation (between Asia and sub-Saharan Africa,
                and North African and sub-Saharan Africa)
 
    Emphases (1)Capacity Building (i.e. human resources are the
                basis of development)
                (2)Gender in Development (i.e. women's empowerment will further
                materialize their great potential)
                (3)Environment Preservation
 
**V. Areas of Cooperation (consisting of objectives and action-oriented
guidelines)
    Social Development: Promotion of Human Development (1)Education
                (an example of objectives: increase primary school enrollment
                ratio with emphasis on girls' education)
                (2)Health and Population (increase the access to primary health
                care)
                (3)Poverty Alleviation (provide safety nets to those suffering
                from extreme poverty)
 
    Economic Development: Promotion of Private Sector (1)Private
                Sector Development (ensure environment for private sector
                development)
                (2)Industrial Development (foster the competitiveness of
                domestic private business)
                (3)Agricultural Development (promote environmentally sustainable
                agriculture)
                (4)Debt (achieve a durable solution for external debt problems)
 
    Foundation for Development (1)Governance (ensure democracy, the
                rule of law, human rights)
                (2)Conflict Prevention and Post Conflict Development (strengthen
                the capacity for conflict prevention, management, and
                resolution)
 
**U. Japan and sub-Saharan Africa
(1) Overview
   Japan's ODA amounted to 17 percent of the total ODA provided in the world in
1996 ($ 9.4 billion out of $ 55.5 billion) and was the largest donor. This makes
Japanese aid policy crucial in development assistance in general and more so for
sub-Saharan African countries which received $ 1.1 billion from Japan in 1996.
With respect to debt-relief, for instance, which is a very important element for
sub-Saharan African development, Japan provided $ 12 million of grant aid for
debt relief to sub-Saharan African countries.
(2) Some examples of Japanese support for human resources development
   Japan's assistance to sub-Saharan Africa is not only peculiar, of course. She
has worked actively with her African counterparts on human resources
development, which is an essential prerequisite for development.
   Here are some of the examples of Japanese initiatives for education and
vocational training to mobilize ordinary people's potential as crucial resources
for the socio-economic development:
    (a) Agriculture and Engineering University in Kenya
       Japan provided 4.8 billion yen to construct faculties of the Jomo
    Kenyatta College of Agriculture and Technology, which was opened in 1981.
    Quickly recognized by the local people as a first-quality and
    result-oriented educational institute, it was upgraded to an independent
    university in 1988 and renamed as the Jomo Kenyatta University College of
    Agriculture and Technology. Since then, Japan has continued its supports by
    providing additional financial grant aid, totaling to 4.3 billion yen by May
    1995, sending nearly 500 professors and experts from Japanese universities,
    and receiving 190 teaching staff for training and further education in
    Japan. More than 1,800 graduates are now working in various fields in Kenya,
    contributing to its economic and social development. Furthermore, the
    University receives about 180 trainees from other African countries and also
    organizes open class for 200 local female farmers.
    (b) The Vocational Training Center in Senegal
       In 1984, Le Centre de Formation Professionnelle et Technique
    Senegal-Japon was established as the first technical vocational school to
    educate middle-ranking technicians in electronic and electoro-technic,
    general mechanics and automobile mechanics. The Centre was constructed by
    Japanese financial grant aid amounting to two billion yen, including
    supplies of basic teaching materials. Teachers at the Centre are Senegalese
    who were trained in Japan, totalling to 53 persons by May 1995. During the
    first seven years, 53 Japanese experts were stationed in the Centre for the
    intensive transfer of technology. The Centre is now becoming the leading
    school of secondary technical education in Senegal. Furthermore, the Centre
    educates more and more students from the neighboring countries as well.
    (c) Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research in Ghana
       Noguchi Memorial Institute was established in 1979 with two billion yen
    grant aid from Japan and has such units as epidemiology, virology,
    nutrition, parasitology, bacteriology, clinical pathology, and electron
    microscopy. This institute was named after Dr.H.Noguchi, a Japanese medical
    researcher, who literally devoted his life to research of Yellow Fever which
    threatens many lives in Africa. He was engaged in research activities in
    Ghana in 1927, but lost his life become of this very diseases next year. The
    institutes has placed emphasis on activities on major endemic diseases and
    evolved into a base for regional cooperation, carrying out seminars and
    training courses for other African medical experts. To support the
    region-oriented activities, Japan has been extending financial grant aid and
    technical cooperation, including the dispatch of 44 Japanese medical
    scientists in total.
    (d) Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV)
       JOCV are Japanese volunteers aged between 20 to 39 sent to developing
    countries. Sub-Saharan Africa is the highest priority region for JOCV
    activities, where 32.6 percent of the volunteers (5,872 persons) have been
    sent by April, 1998. JOCV volunteers work in a wide range of sectors
    including agriculture, fishery, forestry, manufacturing, maintenance of
    machineries, civil engineering, health, education, culture and sport. The
    volunteers live and work with local people. Paying due respect to local
    traditions, for example, they carefully show how fatal some customs may be
    to children's life, so that their understanding of hygiene becomes part of
    their daily life habit.
    (e) Construction of classrooms for primary schools
       Rapid population growth in sub-Saharan African countries necessitates an
    increase of classrooms especially for primary schools. To ensure nation-wide
    primary school enrollment, Japan has built thousands of classrooms in those
    countries. Since 1991, 15 billion yen were offered to construct badly needed
    classrooms (example: totaling 788 classrooms in Senegal).