Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to launch a female-focused version of the Davos economic forum, as part of a wider push to boost the number of women in the workforce at home, he said in an interview published on Tuesday.

The World Economic Forum on Africa kicks off in Abuja on Wednesday in the shadow of security fears and mounting global concern about the plight of more than 200 schoolgirls abducted by Islamist militants.

Nigeria hosts the World Economic Forum on Africa summit this week under tight security after two deadly car bomb attacks raised fears about a possible spread of Islamist militant violence.