Japan will not cut back on its development assistance to Africa despite facing high reconstruction cost in the aftermath of March’s earthquake and tsunami, a Japanese spokesperson told African ministers in Senegal.
The Japanese government initially considered cutting its aid to the region, but it was “deeply touched” by the support offered by African countries and decided to maintain all its aid commitments to Africa, Satoru Satoh explained, according to Agence France-Presse.
Algeria, Sudan, Rwanda, South Africa and several other African countries sent humanitarian aid and rescue teams to Japan as it was reeling from the effects of the devastating earthquake and tsunami.
Japan has pledged to double its aid to Africa to $1.8 billion by 2012 under the Yokohama Action Plan, AFP notes, adding that the country has already exceeded this target in 2009, during which it disbursed $2.05 billion to the region.
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