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President John Dramani Mahama on Saturday night joined the Emperor and Empress of Japan and the Japanese Prime Minister at the 2nd Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize Awards and Commemorative Banquet at which two distinguished personalities were recognised for their outstanding work in the fields of medical research and medical services aimed at combating infectious and allied diseases.

The awardees were Dr. Alex Godwin Coutinho of Uganda (and Executive Director of the Infectious Disease Institute at the Makerere University) and Dr. Peter Piot of Belgium (Director and Professor of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine). 

President John Mahama delivered the congratulatory address at the programme. Below is the President's address in full.


STATEMENT BY H.E. MR. JOHN DRAMANI MAHAMA, PRESIDENT OF

THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA, ON THE OCCASION OF THE SECOND

HIDEYO NOGUCHI AFRICA PRIZE AWARD CEREMONY &

COMMEMORATIVE BANQUET


Yokohama Bay Hotel Tokyu Saturday June 01, 2013
 

Your Majesty Emperor AKIHITO of Japan

Your majesty Empress MICHIKO of Japan

Your Majesty King MSWATI III of the Kingdom of Swaziland

Your majesty King LETSIE III of the Kingdom of Lesotho

Your Excellency Prime Minister Shinzo ABE of Japan

Your Excellences Colleague Presidents of African countries


I am delighted to join you all at this august ceremony for the Second Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize Award and to perform the pleasant duty of delivering one of the keynote speeches.

As we are all aware, this ceremony is to honour two deserving personalities who have undertaken outstanding works in the fields of medical research and medical services, aimed at combating infectious and allied diseases.

Kindly allow me to express my profound gratitude to their Majesties, Emperor and Express of Japan, as well as His Excellency the Prime Minister of Japan for the warm hospitality extended to the Ghanaian and indeed all delegations since our arrival in this beautiful Japanese city of Yokohama.

Let me also avail myself of this opportunity to express my heartfelt appreciation to all the co- organisers of the 5th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V). It is your dedication and commitment that made the gathering of so many of us African Heads of State and Government in Yokohama, at this time, possible.

This indeed, is an occasion worthy of recognition and celebration. I commend the Government of Japan for instituting this international medical research and services award in memory of Dr. Hideyo Noguchi, Japan's legendary and illustrious scientist.
 
We in Ghana treasure and honour immensely Dr. Noguchi's spirit of selfless service to humanity. Ghana is indeed particularly interested and deeply attached to this award because of the significance of the research work that Dr. Hideyo Noguchi conducted in our country.

Your Majesties and Excellences, Dr. Hideyo Noguchi is integral to GhanaJJapan relations. Our relations can be traced to 1927 when Dr. Hideyo Noguchi arrived in Ghana, then called the Gold Coast, with the objective of conducting research into Yellow Fever and unfortunately lost his life to the disease barely a year later on 18th May, 1928.

Subsequently, in memory of his dedication and sacrifice the Noguchi Memorial Medical Research Institute was constructed in Accra in 1979, with funding from the Japanese Government to ensure the continuation of the research works he had initiated for the good of humanity. After its construction, the Japanese Government donated the institute to the Government of Ghana as a symbol of the friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

It was in Accra in May 2006, during the historic visit of the Japanese Prime Minister, H.E. Mr. Junichiro KOIZUMI, that he announced the establishment of the Hideyo Noguchi Prize for Africa.

In March of 2010, Crown Prince Naruhito also visited Ghana to participate in the first Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize Symposium.

I am pleased to put on record that, over the years, the Noguchi Memorial Institute has blazed the torch of Biomedical Research in Ghana in particular and in West Africa in general. The Institute has also contributed in no small measure towards the control of diseases of a public health nature, not only in Ghana but globally, through research and training with the support of various stakeholders and funders, particularly the Government of Japan.

It is also noteworthy that Dr. Noguchi's research works did not take him to Africa (Ghana and Nigeria) but also to other parts of the world, including countries in North, Central and South America, as well as Europe and Asia.
 

It is my hope that the prize that has been instituted in his honour would be accorded the same international recognition and acclaim that other awards of its kind enjoy.

Your Majesties and Excellences, it is on this note that I wish to perform the duty of congratulating the 2013 laureates of the Noguchi Award, namely, Dr. Peter PIOT of Belgium and Dr. Alex Godwin COUTINHO of Uganda.

It is indeed heart-warming that their tireless efforts, particularly in the fields of Medical Research and Medical Services to Africa, have been recognized and appreciated by the Government of Japan and the communities in which they carried out their works.

I wish to also acknowledge with profound appreciation the significant contributions made by the Government of Japan towards the socio-economic development of the people of Ghana, through numerous financial and technical assistance packages over the years.

Permit me to mention for instance that, earlier this year, the Government of Japan supported Ghana's Food Security Projects for under-privileged farmers with an amount of 320 Million Japanese Yen. Another 200 Million Japanese Yen was also provided under the Japanese Health Sector Budget Support Programme to supplement the Ghana Government's efforts towards improving health delivery services.

Your Majesties and Excellences, these are illustrations of the strong bonds of friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation between our two countries.

These gestures become even more significant considering the new challenges that the Government of Japan has been confronted with in the aftermath of the massive earthquake, the destructive tsunami and the ensuing nuclear emergency that afflicted the country in March 2012. As we honour the memories of the victims of these tragic events, let me assure the people of Japan that their friendship with the people of Ghana remains steadfast through good times as well as bad ones.

Let me in conclusion, reiterate my gratitude to the Government and people of Japan, in particular their Majesties Emperor and Empress of Japan as well as His Excellency the Prime Minister and his cabinet for the successful organisation of the 5th TICAD Summit.

I also wish to express the fervent hope that the twin principles of 'ownership' and 'partnership' will continue to shape Japan's friendship and cooperation towards Africa within the framework of the TICAD.


Long live the Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize

Long live TICAD

Long live Ghana-Japan relations

I thank you.