The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Olivier Nduhungirehe, is in Yokohama, Japan, for the ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) taking place from August 20-22. ALSO READ: FEATURED: Africa and Japan: Co-Creating a Future Through Youth, Innovation, and Partnership Minister @onduhungirehe is in Yokohama, Japan, for the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development #TICAD9 taking place from 20-22 August. During the first day, he attended the ministerial meeting ahead of the summit. TICAD was launched in 1993 by the Government... pic.twitter.com/N6QPn3A2Sg — Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Int'l Cooperation (@RwandaMFA) August 20, 2025 A post by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation vis X, showed that Nduhungirehe attended a ministerial meeting ahead of the summit on his first day in the Asian country. ALSO READ: FEATURED: How Rwanda and Japan have deepened diplomatic relations TICAD was launched in 1993 by the Government of Japan, to promote Africa's development, peace and security, through the strengthening of relations in multilateral cooperation and partnership. The conference is co-hosted by the United Nations, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), World Bank and African Union Commission (AUC). Rwanda-Japan relations started back in 1962 and since then, the two countries have opened doors for cooperation in different areas, including agriculture and technology, among others. ALSO READ: Rwanda secures Rwf118 billion to digitalise education sector Bilateral cooperation between Japan and Rwanda has, among others, supported water and sanitation, agriculture, energy, transport and education sectors mainly through Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), as per the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning. For instance, on March 5, 2024, the Government of Rwanda and Japan signed a long-term financing agreement worth 14 billion Japanese Yen (approx. over Rw130 billion at current exchange rates) to support transformation of the education sector. The agreement, in form of a concessional loan – charged at 0.2 per cent interest rate, marks a pivotal step towards driving digital transformation within education, enhancing operational efficiency across primary and secondary levels, and fostering an enriched learning environment within technical colleges, the ministry stated, adding that the overarching objective is to ensure equitable access to quality education for all.
