The announcement was made at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9) in Yokohama, where Japan pledged $5.5 billion in investment across Africa. The funding will focus on private sector-led growth, empowerment of youth and women, and advancing regional integration.
Dar es Salaam. Tanzania has been named among four African countries set to benefit from Japan’s newly launched “hometown initiative,” a scheme designed to deepen ties with Africa while tackling Japan’s demographic challenges.
Under the programme, Nagai City in Yamagata Prefecture will serve as a symbolic hometown for Tanzanians, offering opportunities for skilled professionals and blue-collar workers to acquire training and employment in Japan.
The initiative also includes special visa categories aimed at creating structured pathways for Africans seeking to upskill.
Other African countries participating are Nigeria, Ghana, and Mozambique, paired respectively with Kisarazu in Chiba, Sanjo in Niigata, and Imabari in Ehime.
The announcement was made at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9) in Yokohama, where Japan pledged $5.5 billion in investment across Africa.
The funding will focus on private sector-led growth, empowerment of youth and women, and advancing regional integration.
By directly linking its municipalities with African nations, Japan hopes to spur cultural exchange, skills transfer, and manpower development, while also revitalising regional cities grappling with ageing populations and shrinking workforces.
The initiative is also viewed as part of Japan’s broader Africa strategy, aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and counterbalancing China’s growing influence on the continent.
For Tanzania and the other participating nations, the arrangement promises enhanced professional opportunities, closer economic cooperation, and long-term partnerships that could shape the future of labour and development ties with Japan.
