In an attempt to find solutions to Africa's persistent poverty and low economic growth, regional leaders and experts recently met in Tokyo to discuss ways to remedy the continent of its problematic governments.
Eighteen speakers and panelists gathered at United Nations University in Tokyo in late March for the symposium titled "The 'State (Political Entity)' and Governance in Africa." The event was cosponsored by the Japan Institute of International Affairs and the Foreign Ministry, and supported by The Japan Times.
The symposium took place as donor nation jitters are mounting, partly as a result of ineffective use of aid amid continued civil conflicts, monopolizing governments and starvation in sub-Saharan nations. The problem is particularly relevant to Japan, the world's top provider of aid to developing countries.