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 on Thursday 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 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.
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