Japan supports Ghana with $2.12 million grant
Ghana and Japan has signed a $2.12 million grant agreement for the Human Resource Development Scholarship Programme.
The programme would see Ghanaian public sector workers benefit from development courses in the areas of economics, public administration, public health and international Mission at top Japanese universities.
The Minister of State in charge of Finance, Abena Osei Asare signed on behalf of the Ghana government, while the Senior Vice President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Ando Naoki signed on behalf of the government of Japan.
Ms Osei Asare said the programme would significantly strengthen and contribute to the public sector's human resource capacity building, resulting in officers acquiring the skills and knowledge well suited for the country’s development aspirations.
She said Japan has been annually offering these scholarship opportunities to officials of the government of Ghana since 2012, noting that in 2020, the programme was scaled up by increasing the number of scholarship slots for Master's degree programmes from 10 to 12 and by offering one scholarship slot for a PhD degree programme - all at some of the best Japanese Universities.
The Minister said the signing of this agreement would enable 13 Ghanaian public sector officers to study in Japan, bringing the total beneficiaries of the programme to 117.
Bilateral cooperation
Ms Osei Asare said the Ghana-Japan bilateral cooperation dates back to the early 1970s when both countries established diplomatic relations.
She said the government of Japan had been supporting the Ghana with concessional loans, grants, and technical assistance over the years.
“The Bilateral cooperation also focuses on trade, commerce, and economic, social, and cultural exchanges. Japan, was the single largest bilateral creditor to Ghana, canceled US$1.0 billion of debt under the Highly Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) Initiative in 2001.
“Cumulatively, support totaling about US$2.5 billion has been provided by the government of Japan to key sectors of the economy,” she stated.
Important partner
For his part, Ando Naoki, said Ghana was the most important partner for Japan in West Africa due to its stable and democratic state.
He said Ghana had also become an economic hub and gateway for Japan to West Africa.
Mr Naoki noted that 117 people have already passed through the scholarship programme since itcs inception in 2012, with 90 of them already graduated and working in various public sectors of Ghana’s economy.
He said the strategic important areas of the scholarship programme include economics, public administration, public health, and international mission which are all core sectors of Ghana’s economy.
“Ghanaian students are very committed and I believe that this programme will serve its purpose,” he said.
The Director of External Resource Mobilisation and Economic Relations Division of the Ministry of Finance, Yvonne Quansah, said Japan’s support for Ghana goes way back, with significant support in the social, agriculture, health, and infrastructure sectors.
She said the scholarship programme would Ghanaian public servants with skills and knowledge to drive the country’s economic development agenda.