Mahama meets Japanese PM; discusses three key issues to deepen cooperation

Ghana and Japan have signalled a new push to deepen economic cooperation and accelerate priority infrastructure projects during a bilateral meeting between President John Dramani Mahama and the Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba of Japan on the sidelines of TICAD 9 in Yokohama.

President Mahama acknowledged Ghana’s central role in Japan’s cocoa supply, noting that Ghana accounts for about 70% of Japan’s cocoa imports.

He encouraged Japanese firms to expand investments in Ghana’s cocoa value chain, including a public–private partnership with the Cocoa Processing Company to revamp the plant and boost value addition.

The President also highlighted upcoming milestones in Ghana–Japan relations, including the centenary of Dr. Hideyo Noguchi’s arrival in Ghana and the 50th anniversary of the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) in 2027—anniversaries he previously discussed with H.E. Hiroshi Yoshimoto, Japan’s Ambassador to Ghana.

Meanwhile, President John Dramani Mahama on Thursday co-chaired the second plenary session on the ‘Economy: Co-create Innovative Solutions with Africa’ of the ongoing 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in Yokohama, Japan.

Mr Mahama co-chaired the session with former Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, with interventions from Kenyan President William Ruto, Togolese leader Faure Gnassingbe, and South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa. The UN Under-Secretary General Cristina Duarte and Comoros President Azali Assoumani also delivered remarks.

In his concluding remarks, President Mahama said TICAD-9 is happening at a time of a rapidly changing world order.

“The world’s largest economy, which should be the driver of global trade and investments, has become more insular and transactional in its relationship with the rest of the world”, he noted.

He had advice for African leaders and their people: “Africa is open for business. We wish to partner with any nation in the world on a win-win basis. But let’s not kid ourselves! Trade and investments will not come to Africa because we wish for it.”

According to President Mahama, “Africa must undertake the hard but necessary reforms, as countries on the continent, to make Africa an attractive destination for investments.”

“That is why we must silence the guns and stop the fighting. That is why we must reform our economies and make them more stable and predictable. This is why we must reform our governance and make public service accountable and corruption-free”, Mr Mahama added.