A trade fair aimed at boosting paltry levels of Japanese investment in Africa and increasing commercial ties was Sunday hailed as a success, with hundreds of contacts made.

Japanese businesses invested 1.1 billion dollars in the continent last year, accounting for less than 1.5 percent of the total foreign investment of the world's second largest economy, according to the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO).

The African Fair, held on the sidelines of a three-day summit with 51 African nations, attracted more than 46,000 visitors, a JETRO official said.