New Electronic Platform to connect entrepreneurs from Asia and Africa

New York, 22 April 2005 — Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan today announced the launch of a new Web site –TICAD Exchange – to facilitate trade and investment between Asia and Africa. Coming on line as the 50th anniversary of the Bandung Conference of 1955 is underway in Jakarta, Indonesia, the TICAD Exchange is a first step toward building a strong interregional networking mechanism of Asian and African public and private sectors.

Speaking at the Asian-African Business Summit 2005, a side event of the Bandung Conference hosted by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Indonesia, Koizumi said, "This network will provide relevant information on business in Asia and Africa via the Internet. The Government of Japan anticipates that the network will contribute further to the development of trade and investment relations between the two regions."

Koizumi also announced the doubling of Japanese aid to Africa, now at 8.8 percent or US$529.9 million of its total Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) budget. "In the three years to come, Japan will double its ODA to Africa with grant aid continuing to be its central feature," he said, adding that Japan will hold TICAD IV in 2008.

The TICAD Exchange network, which is now up and running on the World Wide Web (http://www.TICADExchange.org), is developed and managed by the TICAD Bureau of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with technical support from the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) through its UNIDO Exchange Programme. Sponsored by the Government of Japan, it aims at improving a readily usable information base on trade and investment to facilitate the identification of new business opportunities, and providing an on-line facility for information exchange among users. The TICAD Exchange network is a web-based information network that provides a wide range of information, including macro- and micro-economic indicators, data on industrial production, trade and investment policies, and laws and regulations of African countries.

"Eight countries from Africa, namely Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda and Zambia are selected for initial showcasing," said Bouna Semou Diouf, Director of the TICAD Bureau and Senior Adviser to the Assistant Administrator and Director of UNDP's Regional Bureau for Africa. "This is soon to be expanded to cover the entire continent."

TICAD Exchange provides linkages to the trade and investment promotion sites of African States, and relevant sources of data and case studies compiled and managed by such international organizations as the World Bank, UNIDO, the UN Conference on Trade and Development and research institutions. It hosts the directories of Chambers of Commerce and private firms in Africa with their profiles and information on products and investment needs.

The network is linked to the Web sites of such TICAD programmes as the AFRASIA Business Council (http://www.afrasia.org), the Africa Asia Business Forum (AABF), and the Asia Africa Investment and Technology Promotion Centre (AAITPC – http://www.unido-aaitpc.org). The data on Asian markets and investors will be built into the portal as the next step.

The Bandung Conference, which was held in 1955 in Bandung, West Java, was a landmark gathering of representatives from some 29 African and Asian nations. The aim of the conference, which ultimately led to the establishment of the Non-Aligned Movement in 1961, was to promote economic and cultural cooperation and to oppose colonialism. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan along with 40 Heads of Government are attending this year's 50th anniversary of the Bandung Conference, which is viewed as an opportunity to boost economic and trade ties between Asia and Africa.

For more information, please contact in New York:
Nicholas Gouede, UNDP Communications Office, E-mail: nicholas.gouede@undp.org, Phone: +1-212-906-6801.