Key Facts
• The Africa Development Conference (TICAD) begins on August 20, 2025, in Yokohama.
• A food truck serving African cuisine, run by Emile Ilboudo, gains popularity online.
• Ilboudo, 66, is from Burkina Faso and was the former chef for Côte d’Ivoire’s first president.
• His food truck, “FOFO,” features dishes like couscous, chicken yassa, and sumbala rice.
• A July 2025 tweet about his couscous reached 500,000 views on social media.
• Ilboudo trained in Côte d’Ivoire, Morocco, and France before working for the president.
• After the president’s death in 1993, Ilboudo moved to Japan, inspired by its quality.
• He opened an African restaurant in Tokyo in 2004 and later started a food truck.
• Proceeds from his business support school construction in Burkina Faso, with three schools built so far.
• Ilboudo aims to open a culinary school teaching African cuisine and Japanese language.
Summary
Emile Ilboudo, a former presidential chef from Burkina Faso, has brought African cuisine to Japan, gaining widespread attention for his food truck, “FOFO.” Known for dishes like couscous and chicken yassa, his culinary journey began in Côte d’Ivoire and included training in Morocco and France. After the death of Côte d’Ivoire’s first president in 1993, Ilboudo moved to Japan, inspired by its reputation for quality. He opened an African restaurant in Tokyo in 2004 and later launched a food truck, which has become a social media sensation. Proceeds from his business fund school construction in Burkina Faso, with three schools completed. Ilboudo hopes to deepen cultural ties between Africa and Japan through food and plans to establish a culinary school in the future.
