Ghana and Japan have signed a ¥402 million (approx. $2.6 million USD) grant agreement to strengthen advanced education and professional development for Ghanaian public sector workers under the Japan Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS) Programme. The signing ceremony, held at Ghana’s Ministry of Finance in Accra, marks the third cohort of Phase Four of the JDS programme, which offers Ghanaian civil servants the opportunity to pursue postgraduate studies in Japanese universities.
Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, who signed on behalf of Ghana, expressed gratitude to the Government of Japan and emphasized that the initiative is in line with the country’s broader vision to build a competent and reform-driven public sector. He added that Ghana’s economic recovery is gaining momentum, with positive macroeconomic indicators likely to be reflected in upcoming sovereign credit rating improvements.
Representing Japan, Miyazaki Katsura, Executive Senior Vice President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), reaffirmed Japan’s long-standing commitment to Ghana’s development. She stressed the scholarship’s role in equipping future leaders to drive governance reforms and contribute meaningfully to sustainable development.
Since its inception in Ghana, the JDS programme has trained over 80 public servants in fields such as public policy, economics, infrastructure planning, and environmental management. The initiative is part of Japan’s broader strategy to support capacity building across Africa through knowledge transfer and educational partnerships. This latest agreement further deepens diplomatic and developmental ties between Ghana and Japan, reinforcing their mutual focus on human capital, institutional strengthening, and long-term cooperation.
