Madam Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, has reiterated Ghana’s readiness to support the activities of the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO).

That, she said, would enable strategic business partnerships between the private sectors of the two countries to be successfully forged.

Madam Botchwey said this during a meeting with Mr Hiroaki Sekine, the Director-General of the JETRO Office in Accra.

She said the establishment of the JETRO Office in Accra in December, 2020, as well as the Japan-Ghana Business Council in December, 2019, was evident of the joint commitment of the two countries to prioritise cooperation in trade and investment.

The Minister said Ghana and Japan enjoyed longstanding, cordial and strong bonds of friendship and cooperation based on shared values and priorities and gave the assurance that Ghana remained committed to deepening the cooperation for their mutual benefit.

Ghana was home to the largest number of Japanese businesses in West Africa, she said, and that the establishment of the JETRO Office would lead to further promotion of Japanese businesses in Ghana.

Madam Botchwey welcomed the commissioning of the Toyota and Suzuki Assembly Plant in Ghana by the President and the fact that other Japanese corporations such as Nissan, Sumitomo, Mitsui, Ajinomoto, Itochu, Marubeni, Fuji Oil, and Lotte had also extended their operations to Ghana.

She expressed the hope that the business partnerships would translate into profits for the investors and also result in technological transfer for sustainable and accelerated development for Ghana.

Madam Botchwey said the commencement of trading under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) should encourage Japanese investors to step up their investment engagement in Ghana, particularly in agriculture and agro-processing.

She said the investors could also tap into other areas including education, tourism, health, energy, petrochemical industry, infrastructural development, manufacturing and trade and ultimately use Ghana as a springboard to access the continental market size of 1.2 billion people.

She expressed her firm determination to work closely with Mr Sekine to further advance the bonds of friendship between the two countries based on mutual respect, solidarity and development.

Madam Botchwey commended Japan for the excellent manner it had hosted the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and expressed the hope that the athletes representing Ghana would bring gold medals.

Mr Sekine said the JETRO Office would boost Japan-Ghana trade and investment and called for support from the Ministry.