Veep interacts with Japanese business delegation
The Vice-President, Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has expressed the government’s resolve to build strong relationships with international business entities based on the principle of mutual trade benefits.
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In the light of that, he said, the government was determined to engage with companies and countries interested in providing high quality infrastructure in Ghana, especially in the construction and the manufacturing sectors.
“Such companies will be more than welcome to set up and operate in Ghana as part of the Akufo-Addo government’s industrialisation plan,” Dr Bawumia said.
The Vice-President said this when a high-level delegation, led by the Japanese Minister of State for Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MILT), Mr Suematsu Shinsuke, visited him at the Flagstaff House yesterday.
Mr Shinsuke was in the country for the Ghana-Japan High Quality Infrastructure Conference organised by the Japan-Africa Infrastructure Development Association (JAIDA), in collaboration with the Government of Ghana, the Association of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors of Ghana (ABCECG), the Association of Road Contractors (ASROC) and the Progressive Road Contractors Association (PROCA).
Ghana/Japan relations
The conference provided a platform for information exchange and opinion sharing on infrastructure needs and business development activities in Africa among JAIDA member companies.
Representatives of 26 Japanese companies engaged in construction, consulting, engineering and manufacturing, trading, finance and insurance attended the conference.
Addressing the delegation, made up of businessmen and industrialists, Dr Bawumia emphasised the government’s desire to have a relationship with the international community driven by mutual trade.
He recalled the long-standing relations between Ghana and Japan and called for even greater ties between the two countries.
“The bond between Ghana and Japan goes a long way and it is an unbreakable bond. “Mention can be made of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, which was established in 1979 as a gift from the Japanese government to Ghana, in memory of Dr Hideyo Noguchi. The institute has maintained high quality and ethical standards in the conduct of research,” he noted.
Appreciation
The Vice-President also recognised the contribution of Japan to Ghana’s development over the years and expressed the government’s appreciation for Japan’s resumption of the grant of high concessional loans to Ghana after a 15-year break.
“We would like to thank Japan for the assistance it has given and continues to give to Ghana in areas such as infrastructure and health, especially in the provision of Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds,” he said.
He also talked about the construction of a new bridge on the Volta River to make movement between the Eastern and the Volta regions easier and the maritime assistance to the navies of countries in the Gulf of Guinea as part of Japanese assistance to the country and those around.
“I am confident that the Ghana–Japan Parliamentary League will deepen the cooperation between our two countries,” Dr Bawumia added.
Congratulations
For his part, Mr Shinsuke congratulated the government on its electoral victory in the 2016 polls and assured Vice-President Bawumia of Japan’s readiness to deepen ties and help the Akufo-Addo government to achieve its objectives.
He was accompanied to the Flagstaff House by the Deputy Minister for Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MILT), Kaibori Yasuaki; the Counsellor for Global Strategies at MILT, Mori Takehiro, the President of JAIDA; Miyamoto Yoichi; Mr Yoshimura Kaoru; Japan’s Ambassador to Ghana, and Ghana’s Ambassador to Japan, Mr Parker Allotey.
The heads of a number of companies, including Fujita Corporation, Sakai Heavy Industries Ltd, Nihon Sekkei Inc., Shimizu Corporation, Taisei Corporation, Sojitz Corporation, Toa Corporation, JGC Corporation, Deloitte & Touche Tohmatsu LLC and Nippon Koei Co., Ltd, were also in attendance.