President Bola Tinubu has arrived in Japan on the first leg of his two-nation official trip to attend the ninth edition of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9).
President Tinubu landed at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo around 12:55am (local time) on Tuesday morning and was recieved by Ambassador Hideo Matsubara, the Ambassador in charge of TICAD.
President Tinubu’s participation at TICAD 9 in Yokohama marks a significant milestone being his first official visit to Japan since assuming office 25 months ago.
In Yokohama, President Tinubu will pitch Nigeria as a prime investment destination to Japanese business leaders already active in the country’s economic activities and those considering entry in investments in several sectors.
During the East Asian conference, themed “Co-create Innovative Solutions with Africa,” President Tinubu would attend plenary sessions and hold bilateral meetings with world leaders, as well as Japanese business executives.
President Tinubu’s attendance underscores Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening bilateral ties with Japan, leveraging cutting-edge technologies and collaborative initiatives featured at TICAD 9.
TICAD, Tokyo International Conference on African Development, is Japan’s premier diplomatic and economic forum dedicated to fostering sustainable development and deepening partnerships between Japan and the African continent.
The forum’s emphasis on African ownership and international partnership aligns with President Tinubu’s agenda to boost economic integration, human resource development, and industrialisation across Africa, while also opening new avenues for investment and cooperation with Japan.
In addition, the event which, provides bilateral platform opportunities between Africa and Japan, aims to promote a resilient and sustainable African society supported in peace, stability, and human security.
TICAD 9 would focus on economic transformation, private investment, and institutional development across the African and Asian continent.
The Tokyo International Conference on African Development is regularly hosted by the Japanese government alongside the United Nations, United Nations Development Programme, World Bank and African Union Commission. It has been an event that sets the agenda in Japan-Africa relations since 1993.
The TICAD9 summit with the objective of consolidating economic cooperation and opening new trade corridors with Asian partners,multinationals and govt of other African countries is held every three years, alternates between Japan and African countries.
The last edition was hosted in Tunisia in 2022.
This year’s conference, is holding between August 20 to 22, 2025, and it brings together African heads of state, development partners, private sector leaders, and civil society to co-create innovative solutions that drive economic growth, social development, and peace across Africa.
