From Japan Times

The Japanese government plans to allocate development assistance for some 60 projects in African countries, centering on infrastructure development but also covering fields as diverse as agriculture and health care, a government source said Thursday.

The plan has been formulated in preparation for the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development, which Japan co-sponsors with the United Nations and the African Union, scheduled to be held in Nairobi in August. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected to announce the assistance at TICAD, the source said.

The commitment is partly to counter China, which in recent years has stepped up its presence in the continent with massive aid packages, while also aimed at gaining support from African countries for Japan’s bid to be a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, the source said.

According to the source, Tokyo considers Africa the world’s last major growth market and aims to offer high-quality, safety-focused infrastructure technology as an alternative to China’s.

The government decided in July to focus on development in three regions of Africa — areas surrounding Kenya’s Mombasa port and Nacala port in northern Mozambique, as well as Cote d’Ivoire and surrounding West African nations.

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