Part of the delegation accompanying Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Statehouse on August 26, 2016. PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE
By GEORGE OMONDI, omondi@ke.nationmedia.com
In Summary
A total of 75 Japanese firms have arrived in Nairobi
as the sixth session of Tokyo International Conference on African
Development (Ticad) gets underway.
The firms have pitched tents to exhibit products in part of
efforts to catch up with their Chinese and Indian counterparts which
currently dominate the African market.
“These are firms which are passionate about
Africa,” Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said earlier today at a
joint press briefing with President Uhuru Kenyatta. “I hope my visit
will boost bilateral relations with Kenya (and Africa).”
The firms represents three quarters of the 100 top
Japanese companies that the Ticad Secretariat had indicated would
participate at the Nairobi forum.
Japanese firms have generally lagged behind their
Chinese and Indian firms in trade and investments in Africa. Ticad comes
with a Sh3.2 trillion investment package on key growth drivers of the
continent’s economy.
Top segment of interest
Nairobi is hosts the first Ticad forum to be held
outside Tokyo between tomorrow and Sunday. Product exhibition and other
side events have been going on from Tuesday.
So far, Africa’s green energy drive has emerged as a
top segment of interest for the Japanese firms. Toyota Tshusho is, for
instance, actively involved the geothermal energy generation at Olkaria
Plant of Naivasha.
The firm is also involved in transport and
fertiliser production in Kenya. “Our 15,000 Africa-dedicated staff in 53
nations are contributing to the continent’s future in a wide range of
fields,” the firms says.
On Thursday, a subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate
Toshiba Corporation signed an MoU with Kenya Power to pilot a project
aimed at cutting distribution losses in the national grid.
The MoU with Toshiba Transmission &
Distribution Systems (India) will enable Kenya Power to replace its oil
transformers with gas to keep vandals at bay
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