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.
