JAMAICA has received some $525 million ((US$5 million) in funding assistance from the Government of Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grass-Roots and Human Security Projects (GGP) since 1995.

The disclosure was made by Chargéd’Affaires at the Japanese Embassy in Jamaica, Koji Tomita, during Monday’s $8.8 million (US$81,010) grant contract signing ceremony at the embassy’s New Kingston offices, for the provision of two ambulances and fire trucks to the Westmoreland Parish Council.

The GGP provides support for small projects undertaken by local government authorities, non-governmental organisations, educational organisations, and medical institutes.

Tomita said the grants have facilitated implementation of 80 projects islandwide, up to February 2014. He pointed out that three projects per year were undertaken up to 2012, with the Embassy being able to successfully lobby for this number to increase to eight per year, in 2013.

The charge d’affairs disclosed that the increased number of projects funded has facilitated an expansion

in the relevant sectors.

These include agriculture, education, emergency response, health, and youth activities, among others.

“In this the 50th year anniversary of Japan-Jamaica diplomatic relations and friendship, we are proud to partner with the Jamaican authorities and people to intensify our works towards Jamaica’s socioeconomic development programmes,” Tomita said.

Meanwhile, chairman of the Westmoreland Parish Council and Mayor of Savanna-la-Mar, Councillor Bertel Moore, expressed an interest in having the council twinned with a Japanese city.

“We would like to… have (the benefit of) best practices. We, at our council, can go to Japan and see how they run their councils, and they can come to Jamaica and see how we run our councils; it would be beneficial to the parish. So I would be more than grateful to see this happen (soon),” Moore said.

Two ambulances and two fire trucks are being provided under the Grant Assistance for Grass Roots and Human Security Project, in partnership with the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Diplomacy.

The additional vehicles, which will bring the Council’s complement to eight, (four ambulances and four fire trucks), are being provided

to assist in boosting its emergency response capacity across Westmoreland.

— JIS