- Region: Africa
- Manufacturing and Services
- Others
March 22, 2007
- Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC; Governor: Kyosuke Shinozawa) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on March 21 presented a Blue Book on Best Practices for Investment Promotion and Facilitation, policy proposals prepared for the Government of Zambia to improve the country's investment climate, to Vice President Rupiah Banda in Lusaka, the capital of Republic of Zambia.
- The Blue Book was prepared jointly by JBIC and UNCTAD to encourage direct investment by Japanese firms in Zambia. It contained an effective and realistic action plan that proposed 10 measures actionable over a short period of one year . UNCTAD has been conducting studies on the investment climate in developing countries, focusing primarily on African countries. Of these countries, JBIC has delivered policy proposals jointly with UNCTAD to those in which Japanese businesses have interest as investment destinations.
- In the Third Tokyo International Conference on African Development III (TICAD III), the then Prime Minster Koizumi referred to the promotion of trade with and investment from Japan by utilizing overseas investment loan and other financing facilities of JBIC as part of Japan's assistance for Africa. The preparation and presentation of Blue Books is in line with this policy. A better investment climate in African countries, combined with loans supporting individual transactions and projects, is expected to encourage direct investment by Japanese firms.
- JBIC prepared and presented Blue Books to the governments of Laos and Cambodia in 2004, the governments of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania in 2005, and the government of Ghana in western Africa in 2006. This is the first Blue Book delivered to a southern African country.
Attachment: Blue Book for Zambia