Japan vows to double Africa aid

By Yoko Nishikawa

YOKOHAMA, Japan (Reuters) - Japan unveiled a package of steps to help boost growth in Africa on Wednesday, vowing to double its aid and business investment, as it seeks closer ties with the resource-rich continent.

In an opening speech at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), to which Japan has attracted more than 40 African heads of state, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda also said Japan would set up a new $2.5 billion (1.3 billion pounds) fund to help Japanese firms invest more in Africa.

"If I were to liken the history of African development to a volume of literature, then what we are about to do now is open a new page entitled the 'Century of African Growth'," Fukuda said, adding that developing transportation infrastructure was key to boosting growth there.

The three-day conference in Yokohama, near Tokyo, is a litmus test for Japan's efforts to help Africa as it seeks more mineral resources from the continent.

Japan also hopes to win support for its long-standing bid for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council -- a topic that Fukuda repeatedly mentioned in bilateral meetings with African leaders on the sidelines of the conference.

Some 2,500 participants, representing 52 African nations and including delegates from international agencies and activists such as Irish rock star Bono, have gathered at TICAD as Africa faces new challenges of soaring food and energy prices, which have led to riots in some countries.

This is the fourth TICAD conference, which has been held every five years since 1993, yet Japan has lagged behind rivals China and India in accessing Africa's rich bounty of metals and oil. Japan's trade with Africa is a meagre 2 percent of its overall trade.

"Africa has come to Japan with high expectations," said Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, who is also head of the African Union. "Those expectations revolve around the success of this summit in setting a solid base for a new, more dynamic relationship between Africa and Japan."