Canned Fish And Electronics Diplomacy
Poku Adaa
The Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, Mr N. Nakano has ended a tour of duty in Ghana. Our correspondent, POKU ADAA takes this opportunity to report on the degree of co-operation between Ghana and Japan.Ghana and Japan have for many years maintained very cordial relations and several areas of cooperation have flourished between the two countries since the early sixties. Japanese assistance used to be channelled through the Japanese Overseas Cooperative Organisation (JOCV) which sent in teachers, auto mechanics, Judo in- structors etc. However due to language barriers and concentration of Japanese diplomacy in Asia, the cooperation between Ghana and Japan appeared to be declining. In recent years however, Japanese assistance to Africa has blossomed and expanded and in particular, her technical and financial assistance to Ghana has leapt to high favourable levels.
Japan is synonymous with electronic wizardry and very ubiquitous in the home of most urban dwellers in the form of video, radio, television sets - the Sonys, the Hitachis, and so on. In the Ghanaian public eye and mind, it is the transfer of technological equipment and electronic gadgets that engages attention. Specifically, the rehabilitation work being earmarked for the post & Telecommunication Corporation and the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation. Apart from these two, several lines of credit have been opened for a number of public institutions, which have all benefited from Japanese diplomatic generosity.
The most notable Ghana-Japan contract of cooperation was signed last year under which a grant of $26 million was offered to Ghana to be used in the building of a microwave telecommunication project in the country to be undertaken by the Nippon Electric Company of Japan. This project which will take 18-24 months to complete will hopefully enable instant transmission of radio and television signals to all parts of the country. It was at the signing of the contract on this tele project, the Japanese Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund for Telecommunication Expansion Project, that the NEC Director, a Mr I. Takahara was reported to have said:" "The Nippon Electric Company (NEC) is prepared in rain or shine to help Ghana in all her sophisticated economic programmes. ." and how true that was, for a few days later, the same company chalked another con- tract for the supply and installation of new equipment for the GBC, designed to introduce colour television into the country. The contract worth over 70 million is part of a C210 million grant which the Japanese have offered and for which her major electronics companies are directly involved and benefitting.
As part of this huge grant, C65 million has been set aside for financing a material and child nutrition improve- ment programme. According to the Japanese ambassador M. Nakano, "Ghana's children need good nutrition to become strong and healthy leaders of the future and the grant is to provide Ghanaian mothers with canned fish to those who have never been near the sea. in their lives". A beautiful cunning diplomatic way to open export markets for Japanese sardines in Ghana, no doubt. Japanese outboard motors, spare parts and fishing gear have found ready markets here in Ghana and for them business have never been any better.
In the field of health, the Noguchi government. Memorial Research Institute for Yellow Fever is the most remarkable Development testimony of Japanese assistance and their continuing concern about the functioning of the Research Centre was demonstrated with the grant of 80 million Yen for improving power supplies to the centre. In 1983, Ghana's Primary Health Care programme received a Japanese aid of 250 million Yen. In addition to these, the Japanese generosity came in response to Ghana's appeal for food aid in 1984 when in April, $350,000 was offered as a contribution to the National Emergency Food Programme and again $800,000 were donated for the resettlement of deportees from Nigeria in March 1983.
Japanese companies in Ghana are penetrating all spheres of the National Economic recovery programme. The rehabilitation of facilities at Ghanaian ports has attracted a Japanese grant of $24 million repayable in 30 years at a 3.3% rate of interest. It makes all the sense for if the Nippon company is to ship all their hardware for the P&T Corp and GBC projects, then the ports at Tema and Takoradi must be overhauled for easy access.
In road construction and maintenance, the Japanese have offered considerably technical and financial assistance. A grant of 600 million Yen was taken in 1982 for the reconstruction of Nkawkaw-Kumasi roads. The grant of 200 million Yen in 1981 was used for purchase of Japanese trucks. Thus one can understand the large number of Mitsubishi vehicles involved with road maintenance work in the country, giving a clear evidence of the aggressive trade that Japan is pushing for her industries at home. In December 1983, another 500 million Yen was granted for the repair of the Accra-Aflao road.
For the past three years, the agricultural sector of Ghana's Economic recovery programme has received substantial packages of credits and loan from the Japanese
The Volta Regional Agricultural Programme (VORADEP) and its Upper Regional counterpart (URADEP) have been given nearly $2 million dollars for the purchase of Japanese fertilizers and recently 200 million Yen was made available by the Japanese government for the purchase of fertilisers by the Food Production Corporation. In the area of fishing, the Department of Fisheries have received a 420 million Yen fishing vessel through a grant offered in 1983, and in several coastal areas in Ghana, cooperation fishing organisations are technical and practical advice involving new methods in fishing.
Japanese outboard motors, spare parts being offered already markets here in Ghana and for them business have never been any better. In actual fact, trading activities between Ghana and Japan have been on the increase since the sharp decline of the late seventies.
For the Ghana Water and Sewerage Corporation, it was a momentous occasion when they received a 47 million tons worth of heavy duty trucks, tyres and tubes and spare parts from the Japanese government. That was a gift, of course but when you have learnt to use a gift satisfactorily, hopefully you will desire to buy more of same stuff in future. That says quite enough for Japanese trade planning and foresight.
One of the publicity stunts and advertising ever mounted by a Japanese company was that of the electronics company Fujitsu Ltd. The company organised a highly publicised seminar for a large number of engineers around the country at which a new Telecommunications switching system was unveiled and for which the Japanese "praised" the PNDC Economic recovery programme and assured the P&T corporation that the new switching system would be the panacea for all their problems!
Japan's assistance to Ghana continues because they have found a favourable atmosphere for the marketing of their goods. But above all, the popularity of Japan's industrial goods in Ghana accounts for the expansion of their trade and economic cooperation with Ghana.
