Signing Ceremony for 3 Grant Aids

2022/8/16
Signing Ceremony for 3 Grant Aids
Signing Ceremony for 3 Grant Aids
Signing Ceremony for 3 Grant Aids
H.E Mr. MUNENAGA Kensaku, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Tonga and Hon. Hu’akavameiliku, Prime Minister of Tonga signed on and exchanged the notes for 3 Grant Aids at the Fa’onelua Convention Center, Nuku’alofa on 12 August, 2022. Hon. Fekitamoeloa ‘Utoikamanu, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon. Samiu Vaipulu, Minister for Justice and Prisons, Lord Fohe, Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forests, and all related Government Officials were present at the Ceremony.

The Signed Grant Aids
  Scheme Recipient Fund Provision
1 NPGA
(Non-Project Grant Aid)
Waste Authority Limited 500 million JPY
(4 million USD)
Waste management equipment to clean up disaster waste and establish a better recycling systems
2 NPGA Tonga Water Board 150 million JPY
(1.1 million USD)
Equipment for water infrastructure development in outer islands
3 The NEWS project
under GGA (General Grant Aid)
MEIDECC  250 million JPY
(1.9 million USD)
 
The 2nd additional grant fund to complete NEWS project
 
In addressing the occasion, H.E. Mr. MUNENAGA said with our memory of the volcanic eruption and tsunami, “please remember many countries immediately came up to support Tonga, and Japan is one of them. It was on January 20 that I met with Hon. Hu’akavameiliku, the Prime Minister here in Fa’onelua and pledged Japan’s support. Today’s 3 assistances are in line with that pledge.”
 
“I believe today’s assistances are quite relevant and useful, not only for the recovery from the disaster, but also for the future development of Tonga,” said the Ambassador.
 
The NEWS project, Nation Wide Early Warning System and Strengthening Disaster Communications project, is to improve capacity for risk management and strengthen resilience against disasters through an improved domestic telecommunication system. Because of COVID-19 restriction, this Project was suspended for a long time, and this 2nd additional Grant Fund was provided to resume the Project. Currently about 30 Japanese technician are working for the Project to complete by this September. Together with the first additional fund approved in April 2021, the total amount is now about 3.3 billion JPY or 25 million USD.
 
Hon. Hu’akavameiliku, Prime Minister expressed his gratitude to the Ambassador and the People and Government of Japan for Japan’s continuous support. He acknowledged that Japan was one of the fist countries to dispatch humanitarian support to Tonga in the event of the volcanic eruption and tsunami.