By Agnes Ansah/ Eugenia Otenwaa
Accra, Nov.5, GNA- The Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, Mochizuki Hisanobu, has encouraged Ghanaian students to learn from Japan’s developmental journey and apply similar strategies in Ghana.
He made the appeal during the opening ceremony of the JICA Chair Studies Short Course, a programme aimed at exposing Ghanaians to Japan’s transformation into a modern economy and society.
The ceremony, held at the University of Ghana on Monday, focused on the theme “Understanding the Japanese Development Miracle from the Meiji Revolution to the Present.”
Ambassador Mochizuki noted that although Ghana had experienced remarkable changes in the past decade, there were still areas where improvement was needed.
He emphasized that learning from other countries’ experiences could help Ghana enhance its development.
“In comparison to the situation ten years ago, you have achieved remarkable progress but you still have a lot of challenges and a lot of things to do, to the further development of Ghana. It is our great pleasure to contribute to your efforts,” he said.
Ambassador Mochizuki stressed that Japan’s developmental transformation was not a miracle but a result of extensive learning and implementation.
He expressed his willingness to share these experiences with partner countries, including Ghana, to contribute to their development.
“I don’t think it was a miracle. We have achieved something which we wish to further disseminate to our friends, including Ghana, for further development in the future,” he said.
Madam Suzuki Jica Momoko, Chief Representative of JICA Ghana, pointed out Japan’s potential to lead in developmental studies and contribute significantly to global sustainable development efforts.
She described Japan’s unique journey as the first non-Western nation to achieve developed status, noting that while embracing modernization, Japan had maintained its rich traditions and culture.
“This duality makes Japan an exceptional model for modern development,” she said.
Madam Suzuki wished the participants well and expressed the hope that they would gain valuable insights into Japan’s modernization history and its unique approach to development, which offered a perspective distinct from Western methodologies.
Dr. Lloyd Adu Amoah, Director of the Center for Asian Studies at the University of Ghana, urged policymakers to transform the knowledge acquired into real solutions.
He emphasized the importance of creating an environment that allowed fresh ideas to emerge and influence policy, noting that without such an environment, all the research, ideas, and understandings provided by lectures would be futile.
GNA