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President John Dramani Mahama and the Prime Minister of Japan, Shigeru Ishiba, have resolved to deepen significantly the longstanding partnership between Ghana and Japan, with a focus on increased investment and international cooperation.
The commitment was made during a meeting held last Wednesday evening, in Tokyo, on the sidelines of the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9).
Opening the discussions, Prime Minister Ishiba expressed his sincere condolences and solidarity with the government and people of Ghana following the tragic helicopter crash on Wednesday, August 6 this year.
The Japanese leader referenced President Mahama’s prior experience working at the Japanese Embassy in Ghana and stated his desire to build on that unique foundation to further strengthen the partnership between the two nations.
In his response, President Mahama expressed his profound appreciation for Japan’s consistent commitment to Africa’s development through the TICAD process.
He reaffirmed Ghana’s desire to work closely with Japan to further strengthen bilateral relations and cooperation on the international stage.
Looking to the future, the two leaders concurred on a strategic plan to further enhance the bilateral relationship, culminating in a series of significant anniversaries.
These include the 100th anniversary of Dr Hideyo Noguchi’s voyage to Ghana in 1927, the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, and the 50th anniversary of the dispatch of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Overseas Cooperation Volunteers to Ghana.
On economic cooperation, Prime Minister Ishiba highlighted the positive activities of Japanese start-ups in Ghana in the fields of agriculture, education and health, as well as Japan’s ongoing support for infrastructure development.
He requested the government’s continued cooperation in resolving challenges faced by Japanese companies operating in the country.
President Mahama expressed his gratitude for Japan’s extensive support for Ghana’s development and gave an assurance that his government would continue to work closely with Japanese authorities and the private sector to create a more enabling environment to promote and protect Japanese investments in Ghana.
The two leaders also exchanged views on various pressing regional and international issues and confirmed their continued collaboration in addressing those common challenges.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ishiba unveiled a new regional economic initiative at the TICAD 9, which kicked off in Yokohama last Wednesday.
President Mahama joined other African and world leaders in the Japanese city of Yokohama at the conference.
TICAD 9 is being held in Yokohama from August 20-22, 2025.
The government of Japan has been leading this conference since 1993, co-hosted by the United Nations, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank and the African Union Commission (AUC).
The conference seeks to promote ownership of Africa’s development agenda while fostering strong international partnerships.
Past TICAD conferences have yielded many key outcomes for Africa, including better appreciation of Africa's development challenges, stronger partnerships between African nations and the international community, and a greater focus on African ownership of development initiatives.
Unlike other such multilateral conferences, TICAD has brought about concrete actions that have translated into financial assistance, particularly in education, water supply, health and infrastructural development.
The establishment of the African Union’s New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) is known to be one of the concrete outcomes of TICAD.
The Japanese government is financing many development projects for Ghana, mostly on concessionary terms, cutting across road infrastructure, education, health and climate change and adaptation.
