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Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and SPF President Sunami Highlight the Importance of Blue Economy and Umigyo to Kenya’s Principal Secretary State Department for Agriculture at the TICAD9 Exhibition Booth

By Sasakawa Peace Foundation

August 27, 2025

3 Min. Read

From left: SPF President Atsushi Sunami, Nippon Foundation Honorary Chair Yohei Sasakawa, Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, Principal Secretary Dr. Kipronoh Ronoh Paul of the State Department for Agriculture

On August 22, 2025, Shinjiro Koizumi, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan and Dr. Kipronoh Ronoh Paul, Principal Secretary of the State Department for Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development of the Republic of Kenya, visited the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) exhibition booth at the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9). At the booth, SPF President Atsushi Sunami, together with Minister Koizumi, explained to Dr. Ronoh the importance of the blue economy and umigyo, a coastal revitalization initiative that combines fisheries with tourism, dining, commerce, and education to boost local economies. They also discussed the potential for advancing these initiatives in Africa. Yohei Sasakawa, Honorary Chair of The Nippon Foundation and SPF, was also in attendance.

The exhibition was held at Pacifico Yokohama from August 20 to 22 in conjunction with TICAD9.

This program will take a close look at how the African continent, which is facing a food security crisis due to rapid population growth and the effects of climate change, is trying to open the door to a future in which it can overcome these challenges and achieve further development with the key of the Blue Economy. In the studio, SPF President Atsushi Sunami explores how Japan, as a fellow maritime nation, can work together with countries in Africa to advance the Blue Economy.

October 20, 2025

Ocean Policy Research Inst (Division of Ocean Vision and Action)