Ghana Signs 2 Grant Projects Agreement With Japan

Ghana and Japan have inked a grant agreement totaling 766 million yen for rice production and scholarships for young government administrators.

471 million yen will be allocated to the Project for the Enhancement of Rice Seeds Production Capacity, and 295 million yen will be allocated to the Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship.

On Monday, the documents were signed by the Japanese Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Mr. Mochizuki Hisanobu, and Ghana's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Mr. Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong.

Mr. Kishida Fumio, the Prime Minister of Japan, met with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo during his one-day visit to the country.


As part of his mission to Africa, Mr. Kishida, who is the second Japanese prime minister to visit Ghana after former Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro in 1996, was in Ghana to strengthen Japan's bilateral relations with Ghana.

According to a statement issued by the Japanese Embassy, the rice initiative aims to increase rice supply in Ghana, where annual rice consumption reached approximately one million tonnes in 2017 and rice is the second staple food after maize.

It was stated that despite the rising demand for domestically produced rice, the country's annual production is presently restricted to approximately 400,000 tonnes, resulting in a heavy reliance on imported rice.

It was stated that insufficient removal of impurities and a large quantity of crushed rice had been identified as a significant issue, and that quality improvement of domestically produced rice could be disregarded so that it could compete with imported rice.

"This cooperation aims to increase the production volume and quality of certified seeds by improving the equipment required for seed production in four irrigation districts under the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority, thereby contributing to the enhancement of the country's industrial base, including agriculture," it said.

For the Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship, the statement stated that Ghana's administrative capacity and institution building posed the greatest challenge.

It was stated that the cooperation sought to resolve development issues in Ghana by assisting young administrative officials who are expected to play an active role in the core of the Ghanaian government by encouraging them to earn master's or doctoral degrees from graduate schools in Japan.

"This cooperation is also prepared to contribute to the enhancement of bilateral relations by establishing people-to-people networks," the document states.

It was reported that at the 8th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 8) held in August 2022, Japan announced plans to train 4,600 people to address the food crisis and support sustainable agricultural production in Africa, as well as to build institutions and strengthen governance in the judicial and administrative sectors.