A three-member delegation from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) paid working visits to some three major projects in the Ashanti and Central Region, as part of activities toward climaxing the 30th anniversary of Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD).
The projects include the rehabilitation of the N8 truck road, working visit to a JICA Volunteer – a health worker volunteering under the Maternal and Child Healthcare Record Book (MCHRB) at Adu Nwamase and the Ashanti Regional Hospital where another programme known as 5S-KAIZEN-TQM to reduce maternal and perinatal mortality prevalence in the region.
At Adu Nwamse, a JICA Volunteer who is a public health nurse, Ms. Torigoe, as part of the Maternal and Child Health Record Book to promote quality care, assists nurses and public health workers to bring quality health care to people within the Atwima Kwanwoma Municipality.
Under the programme, Maternal and Child Health Record Books containing essential health records and information for both mothers and children have been distributed to all pregnant women in a bid to have their medical history and that of their babies in a single book.
The Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Service developed the MCHRB with technical and financial support from JICA in 2018.
5S-KAIZEN-TQM
Meanwhile, JICA in collaboration with Ghana Health Service and Ministry of Health to use the 5S-KAIZEN-TQM approach, which seeks to entrench quality and best standards. The 5S stands for – Sort, Set, Shine, Standardise and Sustain; while KAIZEN is a Japanese word meaning ‘change for better’ and TQM stands for total Quality management.
The approach, according to JICA, will support health facilities with essential maternal and newborn health care equipment based on the baseline results.
The goal is to have quality maternal and newborn care in health facilities enhanced in targeted regions. It also seeks to improve the capacity of delivering quality maternal and newborn care services.
Medical Director for the Ashanti Regional Hospital, Dr. Ofori Boadu, told the media that the 5S-KAIZEN-TQM project has come in handy as it would help improve quality maternal and child healthcare in the hospital.
US$50million N8 trunk road ready to be inaugurated
Furthermore, a visit to the rehabilitation of the national trunk road (N8 phase 2) showed that the project which was expected to be completed in November 2023, had been completed.
The major components of the project included; rehabilitation of 31.2km of road section between Assin Fosu and Assin Praso by asphalt concrete pavement; dualisation to four lane carriageways of a 1.2km section in the centre of Assin Fosu township with streetlights; reconstruction of the railway underpass bridge by a reinforced concrete box culvert at Assin Fosu and reconstruction and rehabilitation of drainage structures between Assin Fosu and Assin Praso.
Project Manager, Shimizu-Dai Nippon Joint Venture (DSJV), Masa Taka Tanimoto, cautioned against the haphazard use of the newly rehabilitated road. He appealed to the public to adopt a good maintenance culture for the road to last longer.
Municipal Chief Executive for Assin Central, Nicholas Kofi Baako, for his part, pledged to assist the Ghana Highway Authority to take very good care of the road.
He further expressed appreciation to the JICA team and contractors for living up to expectations.
JICA representative, Oda Royotaro, expressed satisfaction at the progress of the three projects sites visited and pledged JICA’s further support to the country, especially in terms of capacity building.
“I am very impressed because all of the Japanese who are assigned to this project are engaging with full effort to contribute to the development of Ghana. Such passion is actually a force of energy to continue working in Ghana. So, on this occasion of TICADs 30th anniversary, we want to deepen further collaboration and cooperation between both governments, including the support from Ghanaians,” he said.
Meanwhile, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has since inaugurated the N8 project.
