Egypt’s Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli wrapped up his participation in the 8th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 8) on behalf of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi on Sunday.
The conference concluded in the Tunisian capital of Tunis on Sunday, having played host to a large number of Japanese and African officials and heads of state over two days.
Addressing the conference, the Egyptian premier drew attention to the economic challenges facing the African continent.
He highlighted the importance of coordination to push sustainable development in the continent forward.
“There is an urgent need for diversifying the sources of food import and securing supply chains for Africa,” Prime Minister Madbouli said.
“Equally important is also the need for controlling prices and joint coordination to advance African national agricultural policies,” he added.
He noted that these measures could make it feasible for African states to achieve self-sufficiency.
The prime minister said food crises always have a toll on peace and security in Africa.
This makes it necessary, he said, for the international community to support African states by providing stimulus packages to their economies.
TICAD is a summit-level international conference on Africa’s development initiated by Japan, in 1993.
TICAD Iwas held by Japan. Since then, the summit has been co-hosted by the Japanese government, the United Nations, United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank and the African Union Commission.
The summit is an open and inclusive forum that brings together African countries and development partners, dealing with African development.
Prime minister invited the attention of conference attendees in Tunis to the importance of giving special priority to debt relief for African states.
“This is of paramount importance in the light of the severe international challenges Africans are facing,” the prime minister said.
He added that African states needed to focus on supporting small and medium enterprises.
He called for putting the Continental Free Trade Area into action, describing it as a ‘cornerstone’ of achieving the desired economic integration in Africa.
“This will contribute to improving the investment climate in Africa and optimizing the use of available resources in it,” he said.
Prime Minister Madbouli also referred to climate change as one of the most vital and important issues that require international solidarity.
He said Egypt would use the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27), which will be held in Sharmel-Sheikh in November this year, to redirect the helm of international discussions in favour of activating the principle of shared responsibility, enhancing adaptation efforts and mitigating climate impacts.
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