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