Take advantage of new interest in Africa— Prez Mahama
President John Mahama has stated that the new interest shown in Africa by the established and emerging economies provides an opportunity for African governments to advance the economies of their countries.
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“I believe African governments should navigate this interest and be able to make maximum benefit out of this interest in negotiating agreements that are signed between us and multinationals,” he said.
President Mahama made the call when he spoke to journalists at the end of the 6th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in Nairobi, Kenya, on August 28.
In what is also known as the “New scramble for Africa,” the last few years have seen waves of interest by countries, including Japan, Brazil, India and China, to establish their strong presence in Africa by increasing access to markets and investing in the resources of the continent.
Market opportunities
President Mahama said the new move to invest in Africa hinged mostly on the growing market opportunities on the continent.
“Africa has the fastest growing middle class in the world and it means disposable incomes are increasing and it becomes profitable for businesses to set up here.
”Africa is the next frontier for development and economic growth and that is why there is such a keen interest in Africa,” he added.
He stressed the need for Japan to show more interest in trade and investment in Africa rather than aid.
Public health
President Mahama mentioned the growth of public health in Africa as one of the areas that the summit discussed.
“There are several areas that we are focused on, especially building resilient public health systems. During the last Ebola outbreak, Japan was a strong member of the international response to rolling back Ebola,” he recalled.
According to President Mahama, Japan was interested in partnering Africa in strengthening the public health system.
With specific reference to Ghana, the President said the country was collaborating with Japan on activities at the Noguchi Memorial Centre for Medical Research, which is the leading medical research centre in West Africa.
He said an agreement had been signed to upgrade the centre into an advanced medical research facility for disease control.
Apart from that he said, Ghana was working with Japan to set up more Community-based Health Planning Services (CHPS) compounds to provide treatment for basic ailments in the small communities.
“As a result of that we are seeing a steady decline in maternal mortality,” he said
President Mahama has since returned home.
Summit decisions
The Nairobi summit which was the first TICAD in Africa focused on the expansion of Japanese investment in Africa with the view to advancing the continent’s development agenda.
The African leaders agreed with Japan to, among other things, take measures to enhance the role of the Japanese private sector in the development of the continent.
At the end of the summit Japan announced that it would shift focus towards more foreign direct investment rather than aid.
Japan promised that its private sector would invest about $30 billion in Africa.
