Opening Remarks by H.E. Mr. Estifanos Afeworki
Haile Ambassador of the State of Eritrea to Japan andDean of the African Diplomatic Corps at the Third
Japan Africa Business Forum 2021 Meeting Tokyo
June 29, 2021••••••••

Mr. Toshimitsu FUNAHASHI Parliamentary ViceMinister of Finance Ministry of Finance of Japan
Mr. Jun KARUBE Chair of Committee on SubSaharan Africa, Keidanren; Chairman of the Board,
Toyota Tsusho Corporation, Co-Chair of Japan
Business Council for Africa
Mr. Mutsuo IWAI Chairman, Africa Project Team,Keizai Doyukai; Deputy Chairman of the Board,Japan Tobacco Inc., Co-Chair of Japan BusinessCouncil for Africa
Ms. Bajabulile “SAWAZI” Tshabalala Acting SeniorVice President of the African Development BankMr. Koji YONETANI Director-General, Ambassador,African Affairs Department, Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Japan
Excellencies and Dear Colleagues
Business leaders of Japan
Ladies and GentlemenFirst and foremost, let me express our deepfelt
gratitude and appreciation to the Asia External
Representative Office of the African Development
Bank (AfDB) and the African Diplomatic Corps in Tokyo
for successfully organizing this Third Japan Africa
Business Forum 2021.
On behalf of the Africa Diplomatic Corps and in mycapacity as Ambassador of the State of Eritrea to1

Japan, let me also take this opportunity to express ourgratitude and appreciation to the Government of Japanand all the business community participating fromAfrica, Japan and other Asian countries in this forum
for giving their support to this important program aimed
at building up a new Africa-Japan economic diplomacy.
Currently Japan ranks seventh in trade, fifth inOverseas Development Assistance and 10th in Foreign
Direct Investment in the African continent. The
importance of revitalization, enhancement andincreasing the participation of Japan in Africa in thearea of ODA, equity and shares is obvious and clear to
all of us at this period of our common history.
Hence, it is imperative for African countries and Japanto look for ways and means to change these local
realities and work together to address the mutual
strategic needs and requirements.
I strongly believe that this important forum can be used
as a catalyst to facilitate and encourage Japanesecompanies to extend their business activities in ourcontinent and in each of our countries. A continent
endowed with abundant human and natural resources,
with its ideal location facing the continents of Europe,
Asia and the Americas with a huge future businesspotential as well as opportunities. Despite progress andsuccess in the past we need to give more substance tothe growth strategy that the TICAD process has
already embarked on.
Without much ado, let me wish success to this forum
and all the participants, especially Colluli Mining Share2

Company which is participating in this forum for the firsttime. This company is the operator of the Colluli Potash
Project located in the Danakil region of Eritrea
straddling on the coastlands of the Red Sea - which isone of the main trade corridors of the world. It is a rebirth of the same export business to Japan, France andItaly which worked successfully before World War II.
The Joint Venture concession consists of a 1.3 billionton of resources with a mine-life of 200 years. Investingin food security of Africa, Asia and the rest of the worldis key in the continent-wide Japanese investments andto achieve both the Sustainable Development Goals ofthe UN and Agenda 2063 Goals of the African Union.
COVID-19 threats can be only defeated by aconstructive economic diplomacy in all fronts,
Good luck and thank you,3