More Japanese companies are willing to come to Nigeria if the security situation improves, the Ambassador of Japan to Nigeria, Kazuyoshi Matsunaga said on Friday.
He was speaking at the graduation ceremony of the 33/23 Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict Course in Abuja.
The course was organized by the United Nations Development Program, UNDP in partnership with the Martin Luther Angwal International Leadership and Peace Keeping Centre, MLAILPKC which was funded by the Japanese government.
In his remarks , the Ambassador thanked the organizers of the course and all participants from both Nigeria and 7 other African countries.
He further expressed that, “In such a promising and attractive country, there are only 51 Japanese companies doing business in Nigeria.
“Trade between Japan and Nigeria is only USD 1 billion per year” he added
He attributed the cause of this as insecurity.
“The biggest barrier is neither the congestion at the Apapa port nor the high cost of electricity.
It is security. ” He said
According to him, to fight insecurity, particularly, sea piracy, Japan has provided NIMASA with high-speed boats to improve its capacity to combat piracy and Alas a result, the number of piracy cases has decreased.
He believes that if this is maintained , it will contribute to peace and stability in Nigeria and
If the security situation improves in Nigeria, more Japanese companies will come to the country and expand their investments.
And as the economy improves, poverty and unemployment, which are the root causes of insecurity, will improve, and security will further improve. He asserted.
He said Unfortunately, in Japan, much of the news about Nigeria is about Boko Haram and how many girls have been kidnapped, Very sad.
“But having lived here for two years, I realize that Nigeria is a great country rich in attractions.
“Unlike Japan, where the population is declining and the market continues to shrink, Nigeria has a growing population and is the largest market economy in Africa.
“On 22 May, I attended the historic and game-changing commissioning of the Dangote refinery
“Once the largest refinery in Africa is up and running, it will bring in a lot of foreign currency revenue and accelerate the diversification of the industry’ he added
He further said, “Three days before the ceremony, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, better known as chatGPT, was in Nigeria for his first visit to Africa.
“I am convinced that Nigeria has a bright future ahead with its abundant mineral resources and the latest IT and innovation”
“Until last year, the Government of Japan provided assistance for a specialized anti-piracy course”
“This year’s training course further focuses on capacity building for the protection of civilians in violent extremism and armed conflict”
However, the Government of Japan focuses not only Nigeria but all African nations.
“I am glad to see a facilitator from Ghana and trainees from Liberia, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Mali, Niger, Cameroon and Benin”
“Last August, the Government of Japan, together with UNDP, the World Bank and AUC, hosted the 8th Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Tunisia, inviting African heads of state and heads of government”
“Japan pledged to contribute to the “realization of sustainable peace and stability” in Africa.
When NewsSpec asked about the significance of the training , he said , “the significance of this training, which involves not only Nigeria but many other countries including Mali, Sierra Leone, Niger, Cameroon, Benin, Ghana, Liberia and Gambia, is not only to educate effectively but also to foster trust and bring neighbouring countries closer in their coordination efforts”
The Team lead , Governance , peace and security, UNDP, Mr Matthew Alao in his remarks while thanking the Japanese government for her continuous assistance to UNDP, said the value of the course to global peace and stability , ensuring protection, safety and well being of Civilians in Armed Conflict, as well as it’s contributions to attainment of SDGs by 2030.
“Having well trained military and para military officers, and civilians alike on the rudiments to effectively protect civilians in armed conflict will reduce civilian casualties in war time, promote civil-military relations, improve professionalism and build trust and confidence in PSOs”
The commandant, MLAILPKC Maj.Gen. EAP Undiandeye in his remarks , also thanked the government of Japan for their continuous support and also appreciated the support and special interest of the COAS and the UNDP in the centre.
He also commended the participants for their discipline, diligence and desire to learn.
” The MLAILPKC will work together with your respective HQs through the AHQ to monitor your performance once deployed into any PSO mission” he added
He advised the participants to not hesitate to give the centre feedback on areas that is believed to improve on to make the course richer and the centre, better.
” The Centre has also identified your individual competencies and will initiate efforts to bring some of you on board as instructors and facilitators to improve our training capacity”
This is to enable us get the required feedback in order to enhance our lessons learnt efforts to facilitate the improvement.
At the end of the ceremony, certificates were presented to participants which comprised of both military, civilians and para military officers.
