Els: MBN360 Business
Ghana and Japan have taken a major step to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the health sector with the signing of a twenty-million-dollar grant facility aimed at improving healthcare delivery in selected hospitals in Ghana’s Northern Region.
The agreement reflects a shared commitment by both countries to expand access to quality and affordable healthcare, particularly in underserved communities.
The exchange of notes formalising the grant was signed at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Accra by Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, and the Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, Hiroshi Yoshimoto
The grant is expected to support critical health infrastructure upgrades, equipment provision, and service delivery improvements across beneficiary hospitals in the northern part of the country.
Writing on the development, Hon. Ablakwa underscored the importance of health as a core governance priority of the Mahama administration. He noted that improving healthcare outcomes remains central to national development efforts and reaffirmed that Ghana values its long-standing partnership with Japan, particularly in sectors that directly affect citizens’ well-being.
Health Delivery as a Policy Priority
According to the Foreign Affairs Minister, access to quality and affordable healthcare remains a cardinal deliverable of the administration of President John Dramani Mahama.
He described the grant as a timely intervention that aligns with the government’s broader agenda to strengthen public health systems and reduce regional disparities in service delivery.
“This support reflects our shared values and our mutual resolve to deliver tangible benefits to ordinary people,” the minister indicated, adding that the grant will enhance the capacity of hospitals in the Northern Region to respond to growing healthcare demands.
Officials familiar with the agreement say the intervention will focus on upgrading medical facilities, improving diagnostic capabilities, and strengthening institutional capacity to deliver essential health services. The initiative is also expected to ease pressure on overstretched facilities and improve patient outcomes in some of the country’s most vulnerable areas.
The health grant comes against the backdrop of steadily deepening relations between Ghana and Japan, particularly since President Mahama’s official visit to Japan in August 2025.
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That visit marked a turning point in bilateral engagement, with both sides committing to closer cooperation in health, infrastructure, trade, and technical development.
During the 2025 bilateral summit in Tokyo, President Mahama held talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, focusing on expanding economic ties and strengthening development cooperation. The discussions laid the groundwork for subsequent agreements and initiatives, including the newly signed health grant.
As part of those engagements, Ghana positioned itself as a stable and business friendly partner within the framework of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
President Mahama also used the opportunity to invite Japanese investors to explore value addition in Ghana’s cocoa sector, noting that while Ghana supplies a significant share of Japan’s cocoa imports, the country is keen to export more finished cocoa products.
Expanding Economic and Technical Cooperation
Beyond healthcare, Ghana and Japan have continued to broaden their cooperation across multiple sectors. In January 2026, a Japanese private sector delegation comprising thirty five companies visited Accra to explore investment opportunities in manufacturing, technology, and infrastructure.
The visit included bilateral meetings and business to business matching sessions aimed at translating diplomatic goodwill into concrete commercial partnerships.
Bilateral trade between the two countries has grown steadily, expanding by about twenty four percent between 2020 and 2024. During the same period, Japanese companies invested more than one hundred and fifty million dollars in Ghana, underscoring growing confidence in the country’s economic prospects and regulatory environment.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry has described the health grant as further evidence of Japan’s trust in Ghana’s development priorities and its willingness to support initiatives that deliver long term social impact. Both countries are already looking ahead to significant milestones in their diplomatic relationship.
In 2027, Ghana and Japan will mark seventy years of formal diplomatic ties, alongside the centenary of the arrival of Hideyo Noguchi in Ghana. These anniversaries are expected to be commemorated with joint initiatives celebrating shared history, cooperation, and future partnership.
Government officials say the twenty-million-dollarpeople-centred health grant sets a strong tone for these upcoming milestones, demonstrating how diplomacy can translate into practical support for national development. For communities in the Northern Region, the intervention is expected to bring lasting improvements in healthcare access and quality.
As Ghana continues to pursue inclusive development, the partnership with Japan is increasingly seen as a model of impactful diplomacy that prioritises people centred outcomes while strengthening bilateral relations.
