Dr. Akudo Anyanwu Ikemba, founder and CEO of Friends of the Global Fund, Africa visited Japan on November 5–10, to strengthen the ties between JCIE/FGFJ and Friends of the Global Fund Africa in the fight against communicable diseases. Kicking off her intensive week-long stay, Dr. Ikemba met with FGFJ board members, including former Prime Minister and FGFJ Chair Yoshiro Mori. Throughout the week she met with business leaders including executives at Sumitomo Chemical, a global leader in the production of anti-malaria bed nets, and also with representatives of the Japanese Business Federation (Keidanren). Dr. Ikemba spoke with the FGFJ Diet Task Force and visited individually with leading government officials. She also took part in a luncheon with key African embassy representatives hosted by Ambassador Koji Tsuruoka, director-general for global issues at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This was Dr. Ikemba’s first visit to Japan.

For more information on this event, please visit the FGFJ website.