Africa – Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9): Universities are the vital partners in development efforts for Africa; we will support them says the African Development Bank

TOKYO, Japan, August 26, 2025 – Universities are essential partners in Africa's development, and the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) is committed to supporting them as centres of innovation that can attract not only Bank financing but also private investment and venture capital, Vice-President for Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery, Nnenna Nwabufo, said.

She was speaking at a symposium held Saturday 23 August, on the sidelines of the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9). The event was organised by the University of Tokyo and co-hosted by the University of Pretoria in partnership with the African Development Bank.

The symposium, titled From Campus to Community – University Collaboration between Africa and Japan for Real-World Change, explored how academic partnerships between Africa and Asia can generate new opportunities for co-creation and progress. It took place at the University of Tokyo on Saturday, 23 August.

“As Africa's premier development finance institution, the African Development Bank sees universities as vital allies — not only as centres of learning, but also as drivers of innovation, engines of entrepreneurship, and catalysts for societal transformation,” Nwabufo said in her keynote address.

“The Bank believes that Africa's future dep