Japan gives $1.66m to fight maternal and child deaths

The Japanese Government is assisting Ghana’s health sector with a grant of $1.66 million in its efforts to achieve Millennium Development Goals targeted at preventing maternal and child mortality.

Speaking at the signing for the Exchange of Notes, Mr Kaoru Yoshimura, the Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, expressed the hope that the financial contributions would be fully utilized to support the health sector to achieve the MDGs 4 and 5.

“In Ghana, MDGs 4 and 5 are lagging behind and it is, therefore, important that all actors involved make every effort to achieve them,” he said.

He pledged the readiness of the Japanese Government to assist Ghana with technical assistance, grant projects, and the dispatch of experts and Japanese volunteers so as to help accelerate the Government’s effort towards development.

Ms Hannah Tetteh, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, praised the Japanese Government for providing a grant of $3.2 million to support farmers and also for providing $17. 7 million to support fisheries promotion in the Western Region.

“The Japanese Government also provided a grant aid of $1.91 million to support the health sector in last year,” she added.