FACTBOX-Aid pledged to Africa by Japan, intl organisations

(For a story on the TICAD meeting click [ID:nT137458])

TOKYO, May 30 (Reuters) - Japan, international organisations, and some Asian nations pledged aid to boost growth in Africa and to meet globally pledged development goals on Friday as they concluded the fourth round of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) held in Yokohama, near Tokyo.

Following is a summary of key contributions in the "Yokohama Action Plan", designed to provide a road map for African development.

FOOD CRISIS AND AGRICULTURE

-- Japan to provide a significant part of its recently promised emergency food assistance package, equivalent to $100 million, to Africa between May and July.

-- Japan to provide $250 million worth of grants and technical assistance to boost agricultural productivity, such as developing and fixing irrigation systems and doubling its 14 million tonnes a year of rice production over the next 10 years.

-- The World Bank to provide $4 billion in grants and low-cost financing and lend $1 billion through the private sector over the next five years for agricultural growth.

TRADE AND INVESTMENT

-- Government-backed lending agency Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) to set up a $2.5 billion facility to encourage Japanese firms to boost investment in Africa. The facility will directly finance businesses in African countries and guarantee the financing provided by Japanese banks for businesses in Africa.