Tinubu Arrives Tokyo, Japan For International Conference On African Development 

* To hold bilateral meetings with world leaders

* Will also engage Japanese businessmen on need to invest in Nigeria 

Deji Elumoye in Abuja 

President Bola Tinubu has arrived Tokyo, the capital of Japan, on the first leg of his two-nation official trip to attend the ninth edition of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9).

President Tinubu’s official jet, Nigeria Air Force 1, landed at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo around 12: 55am (local time) and was received by Hideo Matsubara, Ambassador in charge of TICAD.

The president’s participation at TICAD9 in Yokohama marks a significant milestone being his first official visit to Japan since assuming office on May 29, 2023.

In Yokohama, President Tinubu will canvass Nigeria as a prime investment destination to Japanese business leaders already active in the country’s economic activities and those considering entry in investments in several sectors.

During the East Asian conference, themed ‘Co-create Innovative Solutions with Africa,’ President Tinubu would attend plenary sessions and hold bilateral meetings with world leaders, as well as Japanese business executives.

The president’s attendance underscores Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening bilateral ties with Japan, leveraging cutting-edge technologies and collaborative initiatives featured at TICAD9. 

TICAD is Japan’s premier diplomatic and economic forum dedicated to fostering sustainable development and deepening partnerships between Japan and the African continent. 

The forum’s emphasis on African ownership and international partnership aligns with President Tinubu’s agenda to boost economic integration, human resource development and industrialisation across Africa, while also opening new avenues for investment and cooperation with Japan.

Also, the event, which provides bilateral platform opportunities between Africa and Japan, aims to promote a resilient and sustainable African society supported in peace, stability and human security.

TICAD9 would focus on economic transformation, private investment and institutional development across the African and Asian continent.

The Tokyo International Conference on African Development, which is regularly hosted by the Japanese government alongside the United Nations, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), World Bank and African Union Commission, has been an event that sets the agenda in Japan-Africa relations since 1993.

The TICAD9 summit with the objective of consolidating economic cooperation and opening new trade corridors with Asian partners, multinationals and goverment of other African countries is held every three years, alternates between Japan and African countries. 

This year’s conference, coming after the last one hosted by Tunisia in 2022, is holding from August 20 to 22, 2025, and will bring together African heads of state, development partners, private sector leaders, and civil society to co-create innovative solutions that drive economic growth, social development and peace across the African continent.