He said Ghana over the last few years had shown prospects that it had the capacity to become the African giant in the area of auto­motive development, and Japan stood in readiness to share in its technological advancement with the country to achieve this dream.

“Japan is one of the countries with technological advancement and is ready to support Ghana in building its automotive industry,” he emphasised.

Mr Hisanobu gave the assurance at the launch of the maiden edition of the Japan-Ghana Autoconnect Show in Accra last Thursday.
    

The show organised by Dapaul Company Limited in collabora­tion with Japan-Ghana Economic and Cultural Exchange is dubbed: “Japan-Ghana Autoconnect: Auto Skills beyond Borders” and aims at building the capacity and knowl­edge of technical institutions in the country, as well as individuals in the automotive industry.

Other partners involved in the event were Ghana TVET Service, Complimentary Education Agency and Green Auto Factory AICH and M Ghana Limited.

As part of the event, Japan and Ghana signed an agreement to work jointly to enhance the coun­try’s automobile industry through training and integration with Japa­nese companies.

In addition, the collaboration would offer Ghanaian youth the skills to advance in the automotive industry and gain exposure in the Japanese language, and culture, while creating further opportuni­ties for employment with Japanese companies in Ghana and Japan.

Mr Hisanobu said the signing of the agreement between the two countries would further strengthen the collaboration and their relation­ship.

The Deputy Director General of the Ghana TVET Service, Mrs Lily Gyimah, said the programme com­bined both English and Japanese components to offer participants a unique opportunity to deepen their skills, while learning the Japanese language.

Mrs Gyimah said the collab­oration would also increase the chances of Ghanaians securing jobs with Japanese firms either in Ghana or Japan.

“Auto Connect will allow students and individuals in the automobile sector to have the privi­lege to study in Japan and learn Japanese as an on-top course,” she stressed.

“Beneficiaries will be able to further their education at technical universities and other institutions in the automobile sector, gaining qualifications that can boost their career prospects also in Japan,” she said.

The Chief Executive Officer of DaPaul Ltd, Dr Paul Amaning, explained that the collaboration represented a major step toward strengthening Ghana’s automotive industry.

He said it offered greater opportunity for job creation and economic growth as Auto Connect was set to revolutionise the way Ghanaian technical institutions approached automotive training.

Dr Amaning said apart from the opportunities it offered, it also brought international collaboration to the forefront of education and development in the sector.