S/Leone to participate at Tokyo International Conference on Africa Development tomorrow
The Deputy Secretary at the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD), Alusine Ayoube Joaque has informed media practitioners that his Ministry will participate in the online side event of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD)8 that will be held by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and United Nations Development Programme to discuss on “Trust and Peace Building”, Tomorrow 25 August prior to the diplomatic conference of TICAD 8 held in Tunisia.
Speaking to Journalists at the Ministry’s conference room, on Monday, August 22, Youyi Building in Freetown, the Deputy Secretary of MLGRD, informed that he would join the side event of TICAD8 as one the panelists. He said other panelists are from Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, and CSOs. He added that one of the most famous persons among the panelists is Ms. Ouided Bouchamaoui from Tunisia who was a Nobel Peace Laureate.
The Deputy Secretary said he is expected to speak about experiences of Sierra Leone for trust-building under the post-conflict context and about implications for public development with workers and experts, noting that it is best to get attention to Sierra Leone from the global community.
He said TICAD is the summit-level diplomatic and economic arena for Japanese commitment to African countries. The events of TICAD hosted by the Government of Japan and co-chaired by the United Nations, UNDP, World Bank, and Africa Union Commission, have raised the agenda in Japan-Africa relations since 1993.
“This year’s event will be held on August 27 and 28. The 2019 installment (TICAD7) in Yokohama, Japan, was visited by over 10,000 people, including 42 African leaders from 53 African countries, 52 development partner countries, 108 heads of international and regional organizations, and representatives of civil society and the private sector. Among them, President Bio attended the conference to talk with the past-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Yokohama” he said.
Project Leader, JICA, Kiichi SATO said regarding the TICAD, the Government of Japan has repeated that the event has consistently advocated the significance of principles of African ownership and international partnership for the development of African countries.
“TICAD will pay in-depth focus on reviving growth and development to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic. Focusing on stimulating human security including African initiatives in response to the pandemic, the discussion will be directed to building inclusive and resilient health systems, and responding to the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19, including through debt support mechanisms” he affirmed.
He said although the online event may be seen as a mirror event, the Deputy Secretary of MLGRD is expected to throw a stone among panelists to open the eyes of the international community to people in Sierra Leone.
By Mohamed Amara Gando
