The Japanese city of Yokohama will host the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD-9) in 2025, the Japanese embassy in Tunis announced on Tuesday.

The choice of the city was announced following the convening of the Japanese cabinet meeting, with the exact dates of the conference to be determined in due course, the same source added.

"Since the inception of the first TICAD in 1993, Japan has been steadfast in its commitment to supporting Africa's indigenous development efforts," the embassy said. It stressed that during TICAD-8, which was held in Tunisia on August 27-28, 2022, Japan placed emphasis on "investment in human capital" and "quality of growth" as facets of its role as a "partner in mutual advancement" with Africa, a continent poised for sustained long-term expansion.

"Within this framework, cooperation with African nations becomes imperative for peace, stability and prosperity, not only for Japan, but also for the entire region and the international community," the same statement explained.

It emphasized that "Japan envisages deepening its relations with Africa while further advancing the trajectory of the TICAD process in the period ahead.”