Africa’s youth key to global future – JICA President
The President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Professor Tanaka Akihiko, has highlighted Africa’s growing youth population as a defining force for the global future, stressing that by 2050 one in four people in the world will be African.
Speaking at the opening of the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Yokohama, Prof. Tanaka said this demographic shift represented a historic opportunity for growth and innovation.
However, he cautioned that the dividend could only be realised through sustained investments in education, healthcare and job creation, warning that without such measures, the same trend could fuel poverty and instability.
TICAD 9
TICAD9, which brings together African leaders, Japan, international partners and civil society, comes at a time of intensifying global challenges including climate change, economic inequality and geopolitical tensions.
Prof. Tanaka said the conference provided an important platform for Africa and Japan to forge solutions through innovation, respect and partnership.
Homegrown
Prof. Tanaka reaffirmed the agency’s long-held philosophy of homegrown development, which empowered local communities to lead their own progress.
He pointed to the Coalition for African Rice Development (CARD), launched in 2008, which doubled rice production within a decade and now aims to reach 56 million tons by 2030. Other initiatives such as the Smallholder Horticulture Empowerment and Promotion (SHEP) programme and the KAIZEN productivity method have also enhanced food security and livelihoods across the continent.
“All our programmes are underpinned by human security—ensuring people are free from fear and want and live with dignity,” he added.
Collaboration
Prof. Tanaka noted that Africa’s youth were not only beneficiaries but also innovators.
He cited Project NINJA (Next Innovation with Japan), launched in 2020, which links African startups with Japanese expertise and funding.
Prof. Tanaka indicated that Japan’s engagement with Africa was not an act of charity but a strategic investment in a shared future.
“As TICAD9 unfolds, the message is clear, Africa and Japan can co-create solutions to global challenges, guided by human security, powered by youth, and built on mutual respect,” he said.