By Xiao Chenglin, Lin Rong     

    YOKOHAMA, Japan, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Leaders from African nations and development partners have gathered here to work out strategies and concrete initiatives for a speedy and sustained growth of the African continent at the Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD IV) which will start Wednesday at Yokohama, the third largest city of Japan.

    The three-day meeting is co-organized by the Government of Japan, the United Nations Office of the Special Advisor on Africa, the United Nations Development Program and the World Bank. Hundreds of delegates, including some 40 leaders from African countries, are attending the meeting.

Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda (R) shakes hands with Tanzanian President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete during a bilateral meeting ahead of the Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD IV) in Yokohama, Japan, May 27, 2008. (Xinhua/pool) Photo Gallery>>>

    Under the theme "Toward a Vibrant Africa: A Continent of Hope and Opportunity", the meeting is to focus on boosting economic growth, ensuring human security and addressing environment and climate change issues in Africa.

    African countries have achieved progress in recent years in economic development and consolidation of peace and stability through national programs, continental initiatives as well as bilateral and multilateral cooperation. It shows the promising economic prospects in the region.

    However, Africa as a whole is still facing a number of serious problems and challenges such as poverty, food shortages, infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Some countries continue to face problems concerning political stability, while environmental degradation and climate change poses a new challenge to sustained development.

Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura (L) and Hiroshi Nakada (R), mayor of Yokohama, attend the welcome reception in Yokohama of Japan, May 27, 2008. A welcome reception co-hosted by the minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan and mayor of Yokohama was held on Tuesday to welcome the African leaders ahead of the Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD IV).(Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    Therefore, the development needs of Africa have become a major concern of the world community, which has realized that under such circumstance it is difficult to achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015 in the continent.

    The MDGs promote poverty reduction, education, maternal health, gender equality, and aim at combating child mortality, AIDS and other diseases. But more than 40 percent of Africans still live on less than one U.S. dollar a day. Their education and health systems need upgrading.

    Based on the achievements of the past conferences, the TICAD IV is to mobilize knowledge and resources of the world community to push for a healthy and speedy development in the relatively economic backward region.

    On supporting Africa in boosting economic growth, the meeting is to discuss how to make the currently strong economic growth in Africa self-sustained, more pro-poor and inclusive.

    To ensure human security, the meeting is expected to put strength on the assistance to help African nations achieve the MDGs and consolidate peace and good governance.

    And in dealing with the environment and climate change issues, it will talk about cooperative efforts to improve the environment so as to remove bottlenecks to the economic growth.

People pass under the flags with the logo of the Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD IV), in Yokohama, Japan, May 27, 2008. The TICAD IV is set to kick off on May 28.(Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    Asia-Africa cooperation, intra-Africa cooperation and public-private partnership are important for the development of the nations. The meeting will serve as a platform for broadening the development partnership.

    Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Koumura said prior to the meeting that the conference was expected to adopt the "Yokohama Declaration" outlining guiding principles and approaches to African development among the TICAD stakeholders, as well as the "Yokohama Action Plan and the Yokohama Follow-up Mechanism" laying out a road map for action-oriented initiatives with measurable targets.

    As an interlink, the results from the meeting are expected to be fed into the G-8 summit to be held in Japan's Hokkaido on July 7-9.

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