TICAD9 Convening and Nacala Corridor Development Announcement
The 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) was held in Yokohama from August 20-22, 2025, with participation from representatives of 49 countries including 33 head-of-state level officials from Africa, along with international organization representatives.
Taking advantage of the TICAD9 opportunity, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced on August 20 the launch of regional cooperation for "Global Supply Chain Resilience through Nacala Corridor Development" targeting Mozambique, Malawi, and Zambia.
Strategic Position of Nacala Corridor
Geographic Significance: The Nacala Corridor is located in southeastern Africa, serving as an international corridor connecting landlocked countries Zambia and Malawi to the Indian Ocean via Nacala Port in Mozambique.
Japanese Contribution: Japan implemented the Nacala Port development project through yen loans, which was completed in 2023. This initiative is also related to the "Indian Ocean-Africa Economic Zone Initiative" announced by Prime Minister Ishiba on the same day.
Cooperation Objectives and Content
Primary Goals:
- Transportation infrastructure development and strengthening
- Industrial promotion in mining, agriculture and other sectors
- Regional connectivity enhancement
- Value enhancement as transport route for mineral resources
- Strengthening global supply chain resilience for Japan's various resources
Regional Resource Potential
Zambian Mineral Resources: Copper, cobalt, and nickel are produced
Mozambican Energy Resources: Natural gas fields have been discovered
Security Challenge Response: Security deteriorated during Africa's largest-scale liquefied natural gas (LNG) development in Mozambique's Cabo Delgado Province. Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on August 22 the "Cabo Delgado Province Stabilization for Supply Chain Resilience" cooperation, expressing commitment to contribute to early resumption and stable operations of LNG projects involving Japanese companies and public institutions by supporting the Mozambican government's security maintenance capacity improvement and local reconstruction.
TICAD Business Expo & Conference (TBEC)
JETRO held the "TICAD Business EXPO & Conference (TBEC)" in Yokohama from August 20-22, with 194 Japanese companies and organizations exhibiting and approximately 10,000 actual participants from Japan and Africa. Companies engaged in African expansion exhibited, and infrastructure, logistics, and mineral resource-related events were also held during stage events at the venue.