JICA committed to strengthening educational collaboration with Ghana

The Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, Hiroshi Yoshimoto, has reaffirmed Japan’s commitment to strengthening educational collaboration with Ghana, emphasising the importance of instilling responsibility and teamwork in students from an early age.

He underscored Japan’s long-standing ties with Ghana and expressed the country’s desire to share its educational values and societal mindset.

The ambassador revealed that discussions were ongoing with the Ministry of Education to explore partnerships in teacher training and curriculum development.

“We are currently having a good discussion with the ministry to integrate aspects of the Japanese system, particularly in teacher training and curriculum development.

“This could include non-academic activities that build teamwork and responsibility among students,” he disclosed at a cross-cultural dialogue between students from Japan and the University of Ghana.

The event was held to facilitate a cross-cultural dialogue between students of the same generation in Ghana and Japan to foster a deeper understanding of the educational system in both countries through the exchange of ideas.

It was organised by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in partnership with the Centre for Asian Studies at the University of Ghana.

Collaboration

“For now, we’d like to start with sharing information and experiences between teachers and experts in both countries.

Ghana already has good educational practices but also faces challenges.

Through collaboration, we can find ways to complement each other,” Mr Yoshimoto said.

He indicated that Japan’s educational system placed a strong emphasis on collective responsibility, teamwork and voluntary cooperation, traits that were cultivated in primary school.

“In Japan, students not only focus on academic work but also take on duties and tasks such as cleaning, talking to each other and sharing concerns.

This helps them develop a sense of responsibility and the ability to work hard to accomplish goals,” he stated.

Highlighting the role of teachers, he explained that Japanese educators did more than just teach subjects but also encouraged and mentored students to develop life skills. 

Holistic education

The Chief Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Ghana, Momoko Suzuki,  emphasised the importance of holistic education in Ghana’s development, highlighting the role of soft skills, values and community engagement in shaping future leaders.

he noted that human capital development was key to national progress, stating: “Education is not just about academic performance in subjects like mathematics and English, but also about instilling values such as teamwork, leadership and communication skills”.

Strategic organisation

The Director of the Centre for Asian Studies at the University of Ghana, Prof. Lloyd Amoah, stressed that Ghana’s education system shared similarities with Japan’s but lacked strategic organisation and refinement.

He believed Ghana could learn from Japan’s structured approach to instilling civic responsibility.

“Japan’s education system helps produce well-rounded citizens who take their cities seriously and love their country.

These are values we also have in Ghana, but we have not thought through them well,” he said.

According to Prof. Amoah, “Ghana’s increasing focus on individualism has contributed to societal challenges, including environmental degradation and lawlessness”.

He believed that by adopting key elements of Japan’s educational model, Ghana could build a more conscientious and collective-minded society.