power. In addition, participants granted their basic approval of the six issues Japan presented for developing a regional power network: (1) development of power resources, (2) interconnected transmission lines within regions, (3) interconnected transmission lines between regions, (4) improving energy efficiency, (5) capacity building encompassing regional economic communities (RECs), and (6) partnerships and cooperation with regional power corporations and others.

The Yokohama Declaration, which was adopted at TICAD IV, also acknowledged the importance of developing regional infrastructure. Japan intends to cooperate by extending a maximum of US$4 billion of ODA loans over the ensuing five years in order to develop regional infrastructure and irrigation and other facilities for improving agricultural productivity. Loans will be extended actively and flexibly in collaboration with the World Bank and the African Development Bank. Japan also intends to proactively provide assistance for “one stop border posts” in order to allow road networks to smoothly transport people and goods and thereby stimulate trade and investments.

### 2. Promoting Trade and Investment

The G8 and African countries agreed at the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit on the importance of developing a business environment for achieving growth in Africa and the MDGs. As such, investments from Japanese companies and trade between Japan and African countries will encourage sustained growth in Africa by creating employment opportunities and transferring technology and expertise. Africa has high expectations for this, and Japan plans to implement various measures including those listed below in order to promote trade and investment so as to meet Africa's expectations. First, from the perspective of promoting trade, Japan will provide technical assistance related to trade as well as assistance for improving access to the market for African products through the One Village One Product movement. In addition, from the perspective of promoting investments, then Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda announced at TICAD IV his intention to conduct joint efforts between the public and private sectors for doubling investments to Africa over the ensuing five years. Specifically, he produced a plan for financial assistance on the scale of US$2.5 billion that included expanding trade insurance and creating the Facility for African Investment at the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). As a first step in taking concrete measures, a Joint Trade and Investment Promotion Mission to Africa comprised of Japanese government officials, Diet members, and private companies was dispatched to 12 countries in southern, eastern, central, and western Africa between late August and September 2008. The mission surveyed and exchanged views on the investment environment and major industries in Africa.

### Section 3. Establishing “Human Security”

### 1. Support for Community Development

## (1) Concepts of Support that Responds to the Community Needs

Economic growth at the individual and community level is important to ensure that economic growth in Africa becomes sustainable and is shared widely among the people across regions at the grassroots level. Japan has provided various kinds of assistance in line with the community needs based on the principle of human security. The principle of human security involves creating a society that can protect the lives, the livelihood and dignity of its people from various threats, and allow individuals to realize their full potential through adequate training. In order to strengthen capacity in Africa’s rural farming villages, for example, Japan announced the African Village Initiative (AVI). This project helps construct schools while also providing healthcare services for all of society, involving the digging of wells and provision of school meals. Furthermore, Japan provides assistance via the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security for the African Millennium Village (AMV) project, which is being implemented mainly by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Japan plans to coordinate these two community development projects to provide more effective assistance in the future. Furthermore, Japan will promote assistance in sectors that are directly related to achieving the MDGs, such as health and education, which carry great importance in ensuring human security.

## (2) Discussions at TICAD IV

At TICAD IV, it was pointed out that (1) community development and community-level capacity development are vital factors in strengthening human security in both rural and urban areas, (2) the gender perspective is indispensable in community development as women play an important role in the field, and that (3) a community-based approach is essential for the consolidation of peace in transitional