DAR ES SALAAM, Sept. 3 -- In August 2025, two summits just days apart—the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Yokohama and the Africa–Singapore Business Forum (ASBF) in Singapore—set clear markers for Asias engagement with Africa.

TICAD9 ended with the Yokohama Declaration to “co-create innovative solutions with Africa,” anchored by USD 5.5 billion in new support for the private sector under EPSA and a pledge to train 30,000 AI specialists, while ASBF highlighted Singapore–Africa ties with trade rising over 50 percent from SGD 12.1 billion in 2020 to SGD 18.7 billion in 2024, investments exceeding SGD 26.9 billion by end-2023, and new Bilateral Investment Treaties with C&#...