Japan's Global Leadership & The Continent's Development

pearl beans The TICAD conference takes place once every five years. And theprivilege of hosting the Group of Eight Summit on Japanese soilcomes only once every eight years. These platforms provide anopportunity to catalyze actions and forge partnerships that willmake sustainable development a reality across Africa. Africa is on the rise. Economic growth is up, conflicts are down,and there is a growing sense of optimism across the continent. Thesteady pace at which many African economies are growing - averaging5.4 percent a year for the past three years - would be a source ofenvy for many industrialized countries. On the business front, Africa is increasingly competitive. Ghanaand Kenya were ranked among the top 10 business-friendly economiesin 2008, even as the latter has suffered a temporary setback. Morechildren are going to school, and remaining in school. Healthindicators are up, and child mortality is decreasing. Nearly halfof Sub-Saharan Africa's population lives in countries that are richin oil, gas or hard mineral resources. The unprecedented boom incommodity prices offers new opportunities to mobilize mineralwealth for sustainable development. But as recent events have shown, development gains are fragile. Newrisks are emerging: soaring prices of basic food grains, risingincidence of vector-borne diseases such as malaria, andincreasingly, threats posed by a changing climate. In the past year, wheat price has gone up by 120%. Rice prices haveskyrocketed to near historic levels - rising about 75% globally(see Figure 1). Painful as these price increases are to theconsumers in industrialized countries, they strike an even moredevastating blow to the world's poorest people - children, as youngas four or five, forced to flee the safety of their ruralcommunities to fight for food in teeming cities; mothers deprivedof nutrition for healthy babies. For these families, food purchasesaccount for anywhere between 50 to 75 percent of income, leaving nomargin for survival. Over the last couple of months, riots have broken out in BurkinaFaso, Cameroon, Guinea, Mozambique, and Senegal. According to WorldBank estimates, the price spike could push over 100 million peopledeeper into poverty, wiping out seven years of hard-won developmentgains. The World Bank is doing its part, and strengthening its cooperationwith its partners, including Japan. World Bank President Robert Zoellick recently called for a"New Deal on Global Food Policy" that was endorsed by 180ministers. To help African countries cope with the food crisis, theWorld Bank is making $100 million available to Burundi, BurkinaFaso, Madagascar, Ghana, Mali, Niger, and Cote-d'Ivoire, whilecountries survey their needs for further support. In May, 16African countries met in South Africa to prepare action plans torespond to high food prices. This timely initiative, under theauspices of the African Union and New Partnership for Africa'sDevelopment (NEPAD) is a prime example of African-led efforts forAfrican development, and worthy of international support. Japan's Development Experiences and Lessons for Africa Japan's dramatic success in transforming its post-war economy andemergence as an industrial superpower hold powerful lessons forAfrican development. Japan's formidable technological prowess andfinancial muscle can address critical development deficits, inAfrica, and beyond.