Ghana and Japan Sign Space Cooperation Agreement to Advance National Development

Ghana and Japan have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Space Business Cooperation, commemorating a new phase in bilateral relations and opening opportunities for collaboration in space science and technology. The agreement was concluded during President John Dramani Mahama’s working visit to the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD-9) held in Yokohama, Japan, from August 20 to 22, 2025.

The MoU, signed by Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, on behalf of the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology, together with representatives of the Japanese government, establishes a framework for cooperation in satellite technology, knowledge transfer, and space applications.

This partnership is expected to accelerate Ghana’s space ecosystem growth by leveraging Japan’s advanced expertise across the space value chain, from upstream satellite manufacturing and specialised know-how to downstream Earth observation and applied space science. In particular, the agreement will enable Ghana to utilise satellite data for multiple thematic applications, support evidence-based policymaking, and strengthen resource management capabilities.

Aligned with Ghana’s recently launched National Space Policy, the agreement underscores the importance of strategic partnerships in building sustainable space capabilities. The Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute (GSSTI) will spearhead implementation, working alongside Japanese institutions to promote indigenous expertise, train scientists and engineers, and promote industrial initiatives in the sector.

At the signing ceremony, Minister Ablakwa highlighted the historical ties between both nations, recalling the legacy of Dr Hideyo Noguchi, the Japanese bacteriologist who travelled to Accra (then the Gold Coast) in 1927 to research yellow fever. Though he tragically succumbed to the disease in 1928, his legacy endures through the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research in Accra, which remains a cornerstone of infectious disease control in West Africa.

The Minister noted that this new collaboration builds upon that legacy of cooperation, expanding Ghana-Japan relations into emerging fields such as space science, in addition to new partnerships in food security, industrialisation, urban transport, and infrastructure.