Yasumichi Araki, Chief Representative of JICA Ghana Office has signed two grant agreements with Ken Ofori-Atta, Minister for Finance. The projects are the Project for Improvement of the Tema Motorway Roundabout Phase 2 (Detailed Design) and the Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS) for the year 2021.

Prior to the signing of these agreements, there was a short diplomatic exchange between Mr. Tsutomu Himeno, Ambassador of Japan to Ghana, and Charles Owiredu, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs & Regional Integration, to pave the way for the grants.

The Project for Improvement of the Tema Motorway Roundabout (Phase 2)

The Project will conduct a detailed design to construct a flyover at the newly constructed Tema Interchange that was commissioned on June 5, 2020 by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. The grant amount is US$1millon.

This will include procurement of consultant, and detailed design study and preparatory work for the construction work. Phase 2 of the project will complement the completed phase 1 interchange to alleviate serious traffic congestion and improve logistics from/to Tema Port in order to boost trade among Ghana and neighbouring countries.

The Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS) for the year 2021

The Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS) programme aims to support human resource development in Ghana, targetting highly capable, young government officials who are expected to engage in formulating and implementing social and economic development plans, and become leaders in the country.

This particular grant aid started in 2012, and this is the tenth consecutive year JICA is providing this grant to Ghana. So far, 78 JDS fellows have been dispatched from Ghana to Japan under this programme.

Next year, with the grant totalling US$2.million, this JDS programme will provide another 13 young and promising Ghanaian government officials with scholarships to obtain Doctorate and Master’s degrees at the graduate schools of prestigious Japanese universities. Their research focus will be in the areas of Agriculture, Economics, Energy, Health, Public Administration and Public Financial Management.

Since 1963, JICA has provided support to Ghana in several areas including health, road, electricity, agriculture, industry, education, governance and other significant sectors under the scheme of Yen Loans, grant aid, and technical cooperation.

Source: b&ft