Tunis hosts Japan-Africa investment conference

TUNIS, Aug 27 (AFP): Tunisia and Japan launched a pan-African investment conference on Saturday, seeking to counter the influence of rival China whose economic imprint on the continent has steadily grown.
The conference takes place amid a "complex" international environment caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine, the Japanese foreign ministry has said.
Some 30 heads of state and government are attending the event in the capital Tunis, at a time when the import-dependent North African nation is grappling with a deepening economic malaise.
In his opening speech, Tunisian President Kais Saied urged delegates to "search together for ways for African peoples to achieve the hopes and dreams of the first generation after independence".
He praised Japan's success in "achieving development at the same time as preserve its culture and social traditions".
"The world cannot continue as it was. With all its wealth and assets, Africa cannot watch its people live through poverty," he said.
The eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD8) also comes as Beijing cements its influence on the continent with its "Belt and Road" infrastructure initiative.