\n<\/p>\n
AI took center stage at TICAD9, the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development, held in Yokohama in August 2025 under the theme \u201cCo-create Innovative Solutions with Africa.\u201d In opening remarks, Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru highlighted AI, digital transformation, green transformation and satellite data as priority areas, saying Japan would strengthen public\u2013private partnerships and expand private investment. UN Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres echoed the message, urging that \u201cAI must stand for Africa included,\u201d and calling for greater investment in youth and women, digital innovation and reforms in global governance and financing.<\/p>\n
The Yokohama Declaration adopted at TICAD9 underscored the need for human-centric, inclusive and trustworthy AI.<\/p>\n
At the conference, Japan\u2019s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced the \u201cHuman Resource Development in AI\/Data Science for Africa\u2019s Economic Growth Initiative.\u201d A partnership was signed between the Matsuo Lab at the University of Tokyo and the UN Development Programme to provide AI capacity-building for 30,000 people in Africa over three years, promote research collaboration and expand job opportunities for AI talent.<\/p>\n
Japan also committed to training 500 core AI specialists through the development of the African AI Center of Excellence. JICA, the World Bank and UNDP co-hosted a thematic event titled \u201cAI Transformation for Africa,\u201d which explored AI\u2019s opportunities, challenges and business potential.<\/p>\n
AI governance was another major theme. Africa\u2019s efforts to develop ethical and inclusive frameworks \u2014 including the G20\u2019s \u201cAI for Africa,\u201d the Global Digital Compact and the African Union\u2019s Continental Artificial Intelligence Strategy \u2014 were highlighted. At TICAD9, the UN University and the Government of Egypt co-organized \u201cGovernance in the Digital Era: Lessons for Africa,\u201d emphasizing the need for context-specific and responsible governance of emerging technologies.<\/p>\n
UNDP\u2019s 2025 Human Development Report, \u201cA matter of choice: People and possibilities in the age of AI,\u201d noted that around 20 percent of people already use AI daily and that nearly two-thirds across different development contexts are expected to adopt AI within a year. Sixty-one percent of respondents believe AI will augment rather than replace their work, reflecting growing support for inclusive and equitable AI use.<\/p>\n
Building on these developments, an AFRI CONVERSE seminar will bring together experts from JICA and UNDP, as well as entrepreneurs and students from Japan and Africa, to discuss AI\u2019s role in African development \u2014 not as a beneficiary but as a continent shaping global innovation.<\/p>\n
Event:<\/strong> Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, 17:30\u201319:00 (Japan Standard Time) 17:30\u201317:35 \u2014 Opening \u2022 Tshilidzi Marwala, Rector, UN University; UN Under-Secretary-General AFRI CONVERSE, launched in 2018 and jointly organized by UNDP and JICA since 2020, serves as a recurring outreach platform leading up to TICAD, with multiple sessions held across Japan each year.<\/p>\n For inquiries: \n
Format:<\/strong> Hybrid (UN University Annex, Tokyo, and Zoom)
Languages:<\/strong> Japanese, English, French
Organizers:<\/strong> JICA, UNDP<\/p>\nProgramme<\/h3>\n
17:35\u201317:40 \u2014 Congratulatory remarks
17:40\u201317:55 \u2014 Scene setting (Matsuo Lab, University of Tokyo)
17:55\u201318:55 \u2014 Panel discussion
18:55\u201319:00 \u2014 Closing<\/p>\nSpeakers<\/h3>\n
\u2022 Erin Hirakawa, Matsuo-Iwasawa Laboratory, University of Tokyo
\u2022 Brian T. Chirima, Harare Institute of Technology
\u2022 Robert Opp, Chief Digital Officer, UNDP
\u2022 Tomoyuki Yamada, Senior Director, JICA
\u2022 Kotone Nishigohri, CEO, Ready to Bloom Inc.
\u2022 Rachel Kimweri Makumba, KiAI Inc.
Moderator:<\/strong> Shuhei Ueno, JICA<\/p>\n
\u2022 Ryohei Tanaka (JICA) \u2014 Tanaka.Ryohei@jica.go.jp
\u2022 Chika Kondoh (UNDP) \u2014 chika.kondoh@undp.org<\/p>\n<\/div>\n