The Japan Embassy in Ghana on Thursday signed a 235,400-dollar grant contract with Row Education and Programmes, an NGO, to build a boys’ dormitory for Winneba Senior High School. The grant which formed part of the Japanese Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Project (GGHSP), would facilitate the construction of a 13-room dormitory block with sanitary facilities to accommodate 160 students.
Mr Naoto Nikai, Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, stated in Accra that the GGHSP scheme which was set up in Ghana in 1989, had so far funded a total of 237 projects country wide, and that Thursday’s signing ceremony would be the 119th project under the educational sector.
He explained that the GGHSP was a small-scale assistance grant for the basic needs for the purpose of human security.
He said the grant was a direct support from the people of Japan to rural communities in Ghana to assist grassroots level development projects.
The Ambassador said the scheme sought to improve basic human needs and undertake projects that were highly beneficial at the grassroots level, as well as improvement of basis facilities.
The grant gives priority to those that require timely support on humanitarian grounds, such as the construction of school blocks, health centres, and dormitories among others.
The Ambassador said every year, the Embassy received over 500 project proposals and all had to go through thorough examination and evaluation on a project-by-project basis.
Mr Nikai said out of the number, only 10 projects received the GGHSP funding annually on the average, and expressed the gratitude of the government and people of Japan for the tremendous interest Ghanaian communities showed in the grant.
Mr Ronny Wilson Odoom, Executive Director of ROW Education and Prgrammes, said the partnership between Japan Embassy and his organization fell in line with their prime objective to better the lives of students of all levels of education in the country.
He therefore expressed his appreciation to the Government and people of Japan for their approval of the request.
Brigadier General (RTD) Nunoo Mensah, National Security Advisor, said as a native and old student of Winneba Senior High School, he had pre-conceived the project but later realised that it was a huge one which needed the support of others.
He said he therefore approached the Japan Embassy sometime last year for assistance, which had finally yielded a fruitful result and thanked the Government and people of Japan for their continuous support to Ghanaian Communities.
