The Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, Mochizuki Hisanobu, has expressed his government’s readiness to help develop an automotive industry that can compete globally in Ghana.
He said Ghana over the last few years had shown prospects that it had the capacity to become the African giant in the area of automotive development, and Japan stood in readiness to share in its technological advancement with the country to achieve this dream.
“Japan is one of the countries with technological advancement and is ready to support Ghana in building its automotive industry,” he emphasised.
Mr Hisanobu gave the assurance at the launch of the maiden edition of the Japan-Ghana Autoconnect Show in Accra last Thursday.
Other partners involved in the event were Ghana TVET Service, Complimentary Education Agency Green Auto Factory AICH and M Ghana Limited.
As part of the event, Japan and Ghana signed an agreement to work jointly to enhance the country’s automobile industry through training and integration with Japanese companies.
In addition, the collaboration would offer Ghanaian youth the skills to advance in the automotive industry and gain exposure to the Japanese language, and culture, while creating further opportunities for employment with Japanese companies in Ghana and Japan.
Mr Hisanobu said the signing of the agreement between the two countries would further strengthen the collaboration and their relationship.
The Deputy Director General of the Ghana TVET Service, Lily Gyimah, said the programme combined both English and Japanese components to offer participants a unique opportunity to deepen their skills, while learning the Japanese language.
Mrs Gyimah said the collaboration would also increase the chances of Ghanaians securing jobs with Japanese firms either in Ghana or Japan.
“Auto Connect will allow students and individuals in the automobile sector to have the privileger to study in Japan and learn Japanese as an on-top course,” she stressed.
“Beneficiaries will be able to further their education at technical universities and other institutions in the automobile sector, gaining qualifications that can boost their career prospects also in Japan,” she said.
The Chief Executive Officer of DaPaul Ltd, Dr Paul Amaning, explained that the collaboration represented a major step toward strengthening Ghana’s automotive industry.
He said it offered greater opportunity for job creation and economic growth as Auto Connect was set to revolutionise the way Ghanaian technical institutions approached automotive training.
Dr Amaning said apart from the opportunities it offered, it also brought international collaboration to the forefront of education and development in the sector.
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