The Japanese government has invested $1.4 billion as economic aids and donor funds in Nigeria between 1966 and 2015–a period of 49 years, making it Nigeria’s third highest donor country.
A document
obtained yesterday from the Japanese Embassy in Abuja explained for
instance, that since 1966, Japan spent $773 million to support Nigeria’s
polio eradication project, and $459 million as grants since 1970 for
economic projects such as improvement of
Nigeria’s electricity network.
Equally,
the sum of $180 million was made available for technical cooperation
since 1972; over $64 million for humanitarian support to the North-east
since 2013,and over $11 million on Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human
Security projects (GGP) scheme since 1998.
The document, which
was given to journalists during the grant contract signing ceremony for
the disbursement of a fresh financial aid worth $558,455 (about N170
million) to five community-based projects across Nigeria, indicated that
between this period, the fund was spent to
help Nigeria grow her
economy, support thenhealth system, and advance peace-keeping and the
stability of the country’s North-east which has been under severe
attacks by terrorist group, Boko Haram.
The document also
indicated that as at 2016, the volume of trade between both countries
was worth $1.157 billion, with Nigeria’s export to Japan standing at
$839 million while Japan’s export to Nigeria was $318 million.
Nigeria,
it noted, exported mostly liquefied natural gas (LNG) and sesame seeds
to Japan which exported iron, steel, cars and machinery to Nigeria.
Notwithstanding,
the government of Japan, in its approval of $558,455 under the GGP to
rice farmers from Nasarawa State, the University of Abuja Teaching
Hospital; and a primary health care facility in Alimosho area of Lagos
State, among others, explained that it was committed to helping Nigeria
improve the livelihood of its people.
According to the Charge
d’Affairs of Japan Embassy in Nigeria, Mr. Shigeru Umetsu, who signed
the grant contracts with the implementing partners of the five selected
projects, Japan would be hoping that the
assistance will
contribute to the improvement of health care service delivery, enhance
agricultural productivity, as well as and strengthen the friendly
relations between it and Nigeria.
“The government of Japan has
been working to support the improvement of the lives of people in
Nigeria. Under the scheme, Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human
Security Projects (GGP), we aim to tackle urgent
social-economic
problems at the community level. From 1998 till 2018, we implemented 164
projects across Nigeria, with a total amount of approximately $11
million.
“For the fiscal year of 2018, in addition to 164
projects, we selected six high prospect projects among several other
proposals to date. Last month, we already signed a grant contract with
Nigerian Farmcraft Centre for the Blind which is a division of the
federal ministry of women affairs and social development. Today, we will
be
signing another five grant contracts making a total of 170 projects in the 20 year history of GGP in Nigeria.
“We
shall be signing five projects at this grant contract signing ceremony,
with a total grant amount of $558,455. The projects were adopted based
on their impact on the selected communities as well as the partners’
preparedness to implement them,” Umetsu said.
Giving a breakdown
of the grant, Umetsu explained that the University of Abuja Teaching
Hospital will get $155,877 to procure medical equipment to address
infant and maternal mortality; $135,630 given to Development Africa to
install solar power system for a family
care medical centre in
Elegushi area of Lagos, while Amachara community in Afikpo area of
Ebonyi State will get $89,285 to procure a solar-powered system for its
health and education resource centre.
The other two
beneficiaries, he stated, were for the improvement of a primary health
care facility in Alimosho area of Lagos by Street-to-School Initiative
which got $89,106 for this purpose, and $88,557 given to the Nasarawa
Agricultural Development Programme (NADP) to provide reapers and
thrashers for rice farmers in Awe, Obi, and Keana Local Government Areas
of the state, to improve their rice production and reduce food losses.
“We
hope that these projects will enhance the quality of life in the
benefiting communities, and make maximum contributions towards the
development of the nation.
“Japan is strongly committed to
supporting Nigeria’s economic and social development as declared at the
sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI),
and these projects are part of our commitment,” Umetsu added.
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