Senegal, Benin and other French-speaking African countries must be seen as a privileged space
of investment in Africa, insisted Wednesday of the ministers of these States in visit to Japan within the framework
of the Ticad 7 conference.
The African leaders present at this 7th Tokyo International Conference on the Development of
Africa (Ticad 7) are determined to talk "business" with the Japanese private sector, and no longer "aid"
with public institutions.
“It is high time that private funding took over” from the public sector. We want to promote
public-private partnerships", insisted Amadou Hott, Minister of Economy of Senegal, in front of an audience
of Japanese investors.
"Benin, like Senegal, are gateways to the whole of Africa", explained his
counterpart from Benin, Romuald Wadagni, both extolling the merits of the Economic and Monetary Union
West African (Uemoa, 8 States).
After labor reforms (to reduce strike times), and make energy
available, "we believe that the conditions have been created to bring in processing industries", said
assured Mr. Wadagni.
"Benin is stable and secure, we are willing to do business and decide quickly, there are
many opportunities," said the Beninese minister.
"Ditto for Senegal," added his Senegalese counterpart.
The two countries have the same objective: to transform their production on the spot, which they have started to do
but want to increase, if possible with the help of industrialists and foreign investors.
"We are open to all countries and we believe in technology transfer. Japan can help us
help train our young people, provide us with techniques, we can work together when Ticad
is more and more turned towards the private sector, it is very good, it comes at the right time", underlined Mr.
Hott.
"Our goal is for two-thirds of what we produce to be processed on site", for his part
explained Mr. Wadagni.
Benin has already concluded projects with the Japanese business world, in particular with the house of
commerce Marubeni and the Japanese Bank for International Development (JBIC), for the creation of a
cotton processing plant. "We couldn't have done it a year ago because we hadn't led yet.
the necessary reforms, but now the conditions have been created," said Minister Wadagni.
Senegal wants, among other things, to process its groundnuts on site instead of exporting them raw.
The Ticad 7 is held until Friday in Yokohama in the suburbs of Tokyo.