The TICAD 9 thematic events marked 10 years of collaboration between Japan, the World Bank, the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), and African partners to strengthen disaster risk management and resilient infrastructure.

Opening remarks by Shinichi Yokoyama, State Minister of Finance, Japan reaffirmed Japan's leadership in resilience, rooted in its own disaster experience. Since 2014, the Japan-World Bank Program for Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Management in Developing Countries (Japan-World Bank Program) has provided 75 grants totaling $34 million, leveraging nearly $10 billion in World Bank-financed projects across 33 African countries, including flood risk assessments in Senegal, water resilience in Tanzania, and urban strategies in Morocco.

A video message from Akihiko (Aki) Nishio, World Bank Vice President for Development Finance thanked the Government of Japan for its foresight and partnership, noting how the Japan–World Bank Program, implemented by GFDRR's Tokyo Disaster Risk Management Hub (Tokyo DRM Hub), has been critical in helping countries reduce risk and protect infrastructure. He highlighted concrete results: 4,300 cyclone-resilient homes retrofitted in Mozambique, flood protection for 150,000 people in Dakar, and a climate-smart mobility project in Dodoma expected to create 10,000 jobs. Mr. Nishio added that the program has also reshaped the World Bank itself: the share of disaster risk management projects focused on pre-disaster activities rose from 50% in 2010 to over 80% in 2020, thanks to Japan's influence.
 

Panel discussion framing

The panelists addressed Africa's urgent challenge: rapid urbanization alongside climate change is intensifying floods, droughts, and food insecurity. The question is no longer whether to invest in resilience, but how to do so at scale, efficiently, and inclusively. Tanzania emphasized the importance of financing readiness and enforcing risk-informed planning. Japan urged scaling implementation and engaging the private sector. OECD called for stronger public-private partnerships (PPPs), better feasibility studies, and risk-informed prioritization. The private sector highlighted localization and business continuity planning as keys to success.
 

Key interventions

• Andrew Dabalen, Chief Economist for Africa at the World Bank, made the economic case for resilience. He noted that disasters in Africa are intensifying—recurring droughts in the east and south, and “hundred-year” floods now common in the west, with Cabo Verde recently submerged by record rainfall. These shocks devastate agriculture, disrupt schooling, cut power, and close factories. Yet awareness is growing, with some cities beginning to apply zoning and land-use restrictions. Every $1 invested in resilience avoids $4 in losses, making it one of the highest return investments Africa can make.
• Melckzedeck Mbise, Assistant Commissioner for Bilateral Relations at Tanzania's Ministry of Finance, shared lessons from Tanzania. Flood control in Dar es Salaam, supported by Japan and the World Bank, is easing chronic trade disruptions. Japan has also invested in infrastructure in Dodoma to prepare for future risks. Looking ahead, Tanzania will: 1) update and enforce planning regulations so all investments are guided by disaster risk management; and 2) secure long-term financing through contingent instruments such as Catastrophe Deferred Drawdown Option (Cat DDO) and a new climate finance unit at the Ministry of Finance. He emphasized that financing readiness is critical: recovery funds must be available immediately, not after lengthy negotiations.
• Takaaki Nomoto, Director, International Bureau, Multilateral Development Banks Division, at Japan's Ministry of Finance drew on Japan's long experience with earthquakes, typhoons, and floods to highlight its leadership in disaster risk management, including the establishment of the Tokyo DRM Hub in 2014. He cited Tokyo's underground drainage tunnels as an example of costly but transformative investments that unlocked new economic opportunities. For Africa, he stressed the need to shift from awareness to implementation, with Japan's commitment to supporting this move especially in early warning systems and cost-effective infrastructure. He also urged Japanese firms to view resilience as a business opportunity by adapting technologies to local contexts.
• Yasuo Kannami, Vice President, Global Company, of Pacific Consultants Co., Ltd. emphasized localization and co-design in applying Japanese technologies abroad. His firm has integrated flood-control innovations with African data and contexts, showing how tailored solutions succeed. He urged stronger public-private cooperation: governments should provide hazard maps and accurate risk data so private investors can make informed decisions. Beyond profit, firms can contribute to community resilience, such as using malls as shelters or embedding disaster training into workplaces.
• Setsuko Saya, Deputy Director of OECD Development Centre noted that Africa's cost of capital is higher due to perceived risks, and urged strategies to de-risk projects through better planning, prioritization, and community engagement. She outlined three priorities: 1) integrate disaster impacts into planning; 2) use GDP-loss modeling to guide investments; and 3) strengthen "soft approaches” such as education, community partnerships, gender inclusion, and digital technologies. She also introduced the OECD's African Virtual Investment Platform to improve PPP transparency.
   

Scaling resilience: second round highlights

• Dabalen (World Bank): stressed the “five I's”—incomes, information, insurance, infrastructure, interventions—highlighting early warning systems, innovative financing like Cat DDOs, and risk-informed planning.
• Mbise (Tanzania): emphasized enforcing regulations and institutionalizing climate finance through a new ministry unit, ensuring disaster preparedness funding is always available.
• Nomoto (Japan): underscored private sector roles in business continuity and resilience innovation, urging Japanese firms to adapt technologies cost-effectively to African realities.
• Kannami (Pacific Consultants): described Japan's “self-help, mutual help, public help” model, arguing that businesses should integrate resilience into investments and serve as partners in community preparedness.
• Saya (OECD): stressed robust feasibility studies and transparent risk information as prerequisites for attracting PPP investments.
   

Convergence on partnership

Panelists converged on a three-way partnership model: governments creating frameworks, private companies innovating and investing, and international institutions providing expertise and blended finance.
 

Closing reflections

In the closing reflections, Jane Jamieson, Practice Manager, QII Partnership and Global Infrastructure Facility at the World Bank, emphasized that resilience is no longer optional: investors will not put money into stranded assets. Resilient projects are essential to attract private capital. She noted alignment across discussions—from Cat DDOs to risk data platforms to practical infrastructure design—as proof that solutions are available and scalable.
 

Perspective from Nigeria

Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, Senator and Deputy Chief of Staff to the President in the Office of the Vice President of Nigeria closed with a sobering perspective from his country. Flooding has expanded from 12 to 34 states since 2022, overwhelming emergency agencies and displacing families who often shelter in schools. He noted that small preventive investments, such as irrigation canals, have already reduced flood damage and boosted farm productivity. Nigeria's new Anticipatory Action Task Force, chaired by the Vice President, now integrates meteorological, emergency, and state agencies, with satellite monitoring extending flood warnings from two days to two weeks. He concluded that investing in resilience is not only about saving lives but also about protecting economies, food systems, and long-term development.
 

Conclusion

The session underscored that resilience is an economic imperative. Japan's leadership, Africa's commitment, and World Bank support have already delivered results, but scaling up requires stronger partnerships, innovative finance, and private sector engagement. Investing in resilience is no longer optional. It is the pathway to protecting lives, stabilizing economies, and ensuring Africa's sustainable future.