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President John Dramani has strongly made a case for the speedy and timely release of funds for the implementation of projects agreed between the Ghana government and its Japanese development partners. He stated that the periods between project conception and authorisation for work to begin were often far too long and called on the Japanese government and investors to critically take a second look at the situation. President Mahama made the point yesterday when he participated in a special Africa-Japan Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) roundtable discussion at the ongoing World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The discussions were a follow-up to the June 2013 TICAD V, which brought together African leaders, ministers, heads of international organisations and business leaders to identify critical challenges and redefine the role of Japan in Africa's development. Mutual Benefit President Mahama said the development engagement between Japan and Africa was crucial in advancing the development objectives of both parties. Explaining, he said while Japan had the technology, Africa had the resources, �so it should be a win-win situation�. Ghana, the President said, was already witnessing progress in its engagement with Japan, as a number of companies from that country were playing major roles in developments within the oil and gas industry. Fixing Africa�s infrastructure He said Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan had already shown a keen interest in fixing some of the pressing infrastructure projects in Africa to enhance its integration process. With trade among African countries currently at 11 per cent, President Mahama said the level of trade was not the best for the continent. �We have no illusions about our challenges but we are working on them and we are determined that we create an environment that is conducive for trade and investment,� he said. Conflicts in Africa Mr Mahama also touched on conflicts in Africa and said �today we have fewer conflicts in Africa and the interventions we have created are achieving positive results�.