Thu, 2018-01-25 12:00 £0.00 £250.00 To register for this event please click here

IA-BCA and JETRO (Japan External Trade Organisation) are delighted to be hosting a Japan in Africa Business Lunch.

We will be hosted by JETRO London’s Director of Research, Joji Sato at JETRO’s London offices. The event will include presentations from JETRO’s Lagos Trade Commissioner Taku Miyazaki and Naonori Yamada, the organisation’s Abidjan Director General. Discussions will focus on the work of JETRO in Africa, including discussion of how Japanese business has entered African markets, with insight into JETRO’s activities in Anglophone and Francophone Africa. The event will also feature a discussion on how UK and international companies can collaborate with Japanese partners in Africa.

JETRO is a government-related organisation promoting mutual trade and investment between Japan and the rest of the world. JETRO’s objectives have developed during the 21st century, moving to include promoting foreign direct investment Japan, assisting business expansion of developing countries and contributing to trade policies and economic partnerships.

With over 650 Japanese companies operating across Africa as of 2016, the continent is proving to be a dynamic and expanding market for Japanese business, with the Japan Times describing Japanese companies as ‘steadily shifting their gaze toward Africa’. The 2016 Tokyo International Conference on African Development saw the Japanese Government pledge $30 billion of investment into Africa, with interest in its markets set to continue as opportunities arise in energy, agriculture and automobile projects, such as Toyota Tsusho’s 2015 opening of Africa’s largest geothermal power plant in Kenya.

Meet our speakers: 

Taku Miyazaki, JETRO Lagos Trade Commissioner

With over 20 years of experience working at JETRO, Taku Miyazaki has a wealth of knowledge on the entrance of Japanese business into emerging markets. Now Trade Commissioner of JETRO’s Lagos office, Mr Miyazaki previously held the role of Deputy Director of Overseas Investment at the Tokyo Head Office, coordinating projects in emerging economies all over Asia, as well as the Middle East and Africa. With experience encompassing global economic and industrial research, Mr Miyazaki will offer key insight into JETRO’s activities in Nigeria and across Anglophone markets, explaining the hesitations and hurdles Japanese companies have experienced upon entering these markets.

Naonori Yamada, JETRO Abidjan Director General

Director General of JETRO’s Abidjan office since 2015, Mr Naonori Yamada has been crucial in helping to promote investment from Japanese companies spanning 18 countries across West and Central Africa. Previously, Mr. Yamada was Project Manager of Invest Japan at JETRO’s Paris office, working on trade and promotion of events in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, as well as working as Assistant Director of the International Department for East Japan Railway Company, promoting Japan’s railways to governments and railway operators worldwide. Speaking on JETRO’s activity in Francophone African countries, Mr Yamada will give an insightful perspective on the operation of the Abidjan office, including its ambitious objectives for the future.

Invest Africa and Business Council for Africa members can attend without charge. Members should contact to recieve their access code.

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