African development issues and the UK's views and policy will have a very high profile in coming months as Prime Minister Tony Blair has made Africa one of the priorities for the G8 2005 gathering in Gleneagles in July. The Commission for Africa (CFA) has put forward a substantial analysis and a range of proposals for the international community to consider. Development issues are also at the heart of the UK's Presidency of the EU in the second half of 2005. There are likely to be important implications for Japan's aid policy for African development.

With support from JICA, ODI worked on these issues during an ODI Tokyo visit, In June 2005 and a one-day workshop held on 31 March 2005 at ODI, with international development researchers and policymakers from the UK and Japan as well as Europe.