Students Natsumi Noda (Faculty of Economics, 4th year), Hidekazu Ishikawa (Faculty of Letters, 3rd year), Megumi Hatta (Faculty of Law, 3rd year), Nobuyuki Sakurai (Faculty of Law, 1st year), Sakura Horikoshi (Faculty of Law, 1st year), and Taku Suzuki (Faculty of Law, 1st year) participated in “TICAD 8: Considering the Earth’s Future with Ambassadors from Different Nations” held on August 22nd. Over 300 participants, including ambassadors from more than 50 nations and representatives from companies, international organizations, and student groups, attended this conference to discuss the future of the Earth.

In the first part of the conference, experts spoke on the topic of “Africa and how UHC Resilience should be strengthened”. The second part featured discussions on the topic, “Food, Health, and Environment in the context of Africa’s Diversity”, while the third part featured discussions on “Considering Partnership Companies, Organizations, Ministries, and JICA with African Ambassadors”. The fourth and final part centered on the topic of “Africa: Dialogue for the Future”, and featured speeches by representatives in a variety of fields.

The following comments were made by students participating in the conference.

• During this event, which brought together people from the industry, academia, and the government, I felt that one good thing that I could bring to society as a first-year university student was the ability to embrace ambition and transmit that passion throughout society. However, waxing poetic ideals in front of people in industry, academia, and government who are taking concrete action to change the world will not get through to them. I will study so that I can fill that gap between reality and the ideal. I am now also confident that the passion students possess and the actions that accompany this passion will lead to world peace. (Hidekazu Ishikawa, Faculty of Letters, 3rd year)
• I gained many insights and teachings that I never would have gained had I not participated in this event and spoken directly with African ambassadors. I also learned that what leads to symbiotic relationships between the Japanese and the people of Africa and creates a relationship of mutual support as fellow humans is not only the connections between nations or corporations but the building of relationships between individuals as well. I will strive to expand my knowledge and learn languages so that I can build friendships, not only with people in Africa, but with people all around the world. (Nobuyuki Sakurai, Faculty of Law, 1st year)
• Not only did I get to listen to speeches by many experts and gain new knowledge in such areas as food, health, and the environment, but I learned that there is, at times, a great discrepancy between the image of Africa and reality. This also made me think about the importance of building a better relationship between Africa and Japan, including the importance of providing support to others in a considerate, Japanese manner as well as the importance of talking to people in Africa. I will increase my knowledge and link it to action in order to create a society that leaves no one behind, as was emphasized in “invest in people” in the Tunis Declaration adopted at TICAD 8. (Sakura Horikoshi, Faculty of Law, 1st year)
• This conference was joined by three organizations: government officials, private companies, and students, and I found it very stimulating. Through the conference, I learned how Japanese companies provide support to the people of Africa as well as what Africans think of such activities. (Taku Suzuki, Faculty of Law, 1st year)