JAPAN ASSISTS GHANA WITH FOOD AID (PAGE 31, DEC 1)

Japan has provided a food package of 16,035 tonnes of rice to Ghana as part of its official assistance towards meeting the country’s food requirements.
A cargo vessel, the MV Cido Pacific, which conveyed the consignment, valued at U$10 million, docked at the Tema Port last Saturday.
Last year, Japan provided a similar package of 8,060 tonnes of rice but doubled the consignment this year.
Port security officials had taken measures to secure the cargo and ascertain the wholesomeness of the rice.
According to the Managing Director of Marino Logistics Ghana Limited, Mr Yaw Yirenkyi Attuah, the company had been contracted by the Japanese government to lift all donations provided under Japan’s official development assistance (ODA).
He said since 2000, the company had been in charge of shipments to countries including Mali, Cote d’Ivoire and Cape Verde.
Mr Yirenkyi stated that the Japanese government usually monitored the shipments to ensure that the consignments got to their destination.
The President of Marino Logistics Company Limited, Japan, Mr Shoji Komatsu, said he was happy to be associated with the shipment of ODA cargo to Ghana, especially because of the peace and stability in the country and the willingness of the people to tolerate people from different cultures.