The African Development Bank has announced the rollout of the Africa-Asia (AA) Platform, a new initiative dedicated to facilitating knowledge transfer between Africa and Asia.
This platform ensures mutual exchange of technology and innovation between the two continents. A ceremony to mark the introduction was held at the United Nations University in Tokyo. The event was attended by Dr. Sidi Ould Tarr, President of the African Development Bank Group, Professor Francis Petersen, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Pretoria, and Dr. Teruo Fujii, President of the University of Tokyo.
The African Development Bank hosted the event with support from both universities. The platform is supported by the Policy and Human Resource Development Grant (PHRDG), a Japanese trust fund within the African Development Bank, and consists of several key components.
These include establishing an Africa-Asia knowledge partnership; Developing a knowledge dialogue that supports public and private sector initiatives in Africa and strengthening individual and organizational research capacity through inter-university networking and research facilitation. The ceremony was held as a result of the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9), which was held in Yokohama in August 2025 with the theme “Co-creating innovative solutions with Africa”, and is in line with the platform’s emphasis on knowledge sharing.
Principals from both institutions shared their reactions. Dr. Urd Tarr says: “The Africa-Asia Platform for new public-private partnership initiative we are launching today represents the next frontier of our cooperation.
“The success of this pilot project will provide important evidence of the viability and impact of connecting Africa and Asia through innovative partnerships. Underpinned by strong public-private partnerships and positioning young people as drivers of innovation and entrepreneurship, we are building attractive African markets, driving investment, creating quality jobs, and addressing the root causes of unsafe migration and insecurity while fostering a safe and prosperous future.”
Professor Peterson said: “The partnership between Asian and African countries presents an ideal model for public and private actors from both continents to collaborate, co-create and drive innovation.
“While significant geographic and institutional distances remain between actors in Asia and Africa, universities are in a strategic position to bridge these gaps. Universities are best placed to play this role through their interdisciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge production capabilities, regional and global networks, and their role as convenors.”
Dr. Teruo Fujii further added: “The Africa-Asia Platform will serve as a foundation for knowledge exchange that brings together researchers, policy makers and entrepreneurs.
“This will foster new business partnerships, collaborative research on public policy, and opportunities for students and young professionals to learn from each other across continents.” This new initiative complements the Banking Group’s existing innovation projects, such as the Pan African University Phase 2 and the ENNOVA project, an AI-powered innovation and entrepreneurship platform that provides stakeholders with access to market research, capacity-building opportunities, knowledge resources, funding opportunities, and tools for prototyping and incubation.
With the rollout of this platform, the leaders of the implementing agencies (African Development Bank Group, University of Pretoria, and the University of Tokyo School of Public Policy) agree to collaborate among themselves and with all other stakeholders to achieve its objectives and contribute to the promotion of skills development, youth entrepreneurship, and innovation for sustainable development in Africa.
