Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey with Chairman Sasaki of JETRO after the signing of the MoU
JAPAN AND Ghana on Thursday signed an agreement that would allow the
former to establish an office in Accra for the Japan External Trade
Organisation (JETRO).
JETRO is the Japanese institution charged with consolidating Japan’s
efforts in export and investment promotion.
The signing ceremony took place in Yokohama on the sidelines of the 7th
Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD).
According to Nobuhiko Sasaki, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of
JETRO, the establishment of the office, which is billed to take place in March
2020, would enhance the promotion of Japanese
businesses in Ghana. Ghana has the largest
number of Japanese businesses in West Africa.
President Akufo-Addo, in a remark, expressed delight in the signing of
the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), saying: “We are very interested in deepening economic relations between Ghana
and Japan, and to that extent we have spent the last two years trying to improve
the fundamentals of the Ghanaian economy, so that we will be in a better
position to attract investments and interests from Japanese companies.”
“Ghana’s macroeconomic indices are in a better position that they were two years ago when I took
over. I think that, right now, things are looking very positive for the
future of Ghana’s economy. To have an organisation like yours coming to
Accra and opening up the possibility of wide access to Japanese business is
very encouraging,” he added.
The President applauded JETRO for the support it had extended to
owners of shea nut businesses in northern Ghana. Besides, he commended JETRO for
supporting Ghanaian businesses to participate in a trade
fair in Japan in March, this year.
“We had a fairly broad range of Ghanaian
products here on the show. All of this means that we are looking forward to the
collaboration, and seeing the opening of this office is also
a sign that Japan is looking forward to greater and greater involvement in our
country,” the President added.
A business desk report
