What is TICAD Exchange?

This is a first step toward building a network of Asian and African public and private sectors, as spelled out in the recommendations of the TICAD Asia-Africa Trade and Investment Conference (AATIC) held in Tokyo in November 2004. Heralded as a concrete follow up to TICAD III, AATIC brought together more than 700 delegates from 50 African nations and 14 countries from Asia along with representatives from international and regional organizations, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations.

TICAD Exchange Network aims at improving the information base on trade and investment to guide the identification of new business opportunities, and providing an on-line facility for information exchange among users. H.E. Junichiro Koizumi, the Prime Minister of Japan officially launched this Network during the Asian-African Business Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia on April 22, 2005.

It is a web-based network that provides a wide rage of information. They include macro and micro economic indicators, data on industrial production, trade and investment policies, laws and regulations of African countries. It provides a link to the trade and investment promotion sites of African governments, and relevant sources of data and case studies compiled and managed by international organizations (World Bank, UNIDO, UNCTAD) as well as research institutions. 

It hosts the directories of Chambers of Commerce and private firms in Africa with their profiles and information on products and investment needs. It is also linked to the websites of TICAD Programmes such as AFRASIA Exchange, Africa Asia Business Forum, and Asia Africa Investment and Technology Promotion Center (AAITPC). The data on Asian markets and investors are also built into the portal.

The TICAD Exchange Network is developed and managed by the TICAD UNDP/Africa Bureau with technical support from UNIDO and fully sponsored  by the Government of Japan.