TICAD 7: Creativity and Innovation Bridging Africa and Japan

The seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) will take place from 28 to 31 August in Yokohama, Japan, welcoming representatives from over 50 African countries, regional and international organizations, and numerous development partners. This is an important multilateral forum that has mobilized support for the continent’s development since 1993.

The theme of TICAD7 is "Advancing Africa's development through people, technology and innovation.”

Audrey Azoulay, the Director-General of UNESCO, will attend TICAD7 and participate in 2 side events co- organized by UNESCO and Japan as described below. These debates take forward the Organization’s commitment to Priority Africa and to promoting the diversity of creative expressions around the world as a source of innovation, economic growth and social cohesion. UNESCO believes that this can contribute to the achievement of the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provided that cooperation activities are designed to build people’s capacities and skills and are based on principles of human rights, including artistic freedom and gender equality.

Round table: African film across borders – building new bridges of cooperation

While TICAD represents Japan’s decades-long commitment to Africa’s sustainable development, it is the first time that, the theme of culture is featured as a platform to bridge Africa and Japan in partnership with UNESCO. Film industries across Sub-Saharan African are growing, along with global enthusiasm for Africa-made content. With additional investments, the possibilities are limitless for this continent brimming with young creative talents.

The round table brings together film industry leaders to take an insightful look into the state of the movie industry as well as the role of international cooperation to support the future of African cinema. In particular, panelists will share their expertise on how to professionalize the sector through creative and business trainings, audience and market expansion for independent filmmakers and co-creation opportunities for film professionals from across Africa and Japan.

The event takes place at Screen 6, Yokohama Burg 13 on 29 August from 18.30-21.30.

Panel Discussion: the Application of Artificial Intelligence in Africa

We have entered a new digital era, with the explosion of computing power, the multiplication of data volumes, the unprecedented capacity for learning through algorithms. This new era of artificial intelligence, is a technological revolution, but also an economic, social and of course ethical one, concerning all continents and countries. The world’s second most populous continent, Africa is recognized as a region with great potential for development and a capacity to invent, inspire and innovate, including in the area of technologies. Japan is one the leading nations in the area of technological developments and uses, and UNESCO, with its humanistic vocation, has always aligned technological progress in the service of the common good, be it for education, culture, the sciences, communication or information.

This TICAD side-event will offer an overview of the state of AI development and uses in Africa, provide an synopsis of UNESCO’s work in this domain, including on in the area of ethics, awareness raising and capacity building, before diving into the particularly relevant topic of AI for disaster risk reduction (DRR) in Africa.

The event takes place at F204 ANNEX Hall, Pacifico Yokohama on 29 August from 10.30-12.00.