60 Years of Ghana-Japan Relations - Reflections on an Enduring Partnership for Development

BACKGROUND

It is not for nothing that Ghana’s 60^th independence anniversary this year coincides with the commemoration of 60years of Ghana-Japan relations. Historically the restoration of the Meiji laid the foundations for Japan’s eventual emergence as a notable industrial power initially on the Asian continent and subsequently further afield. Ghanaian nationalists and leading intellectuals such as J.E. Casely-Hayford and Dr. J.B. Danquah had taken full notice. The venerable Casely-Hayford mentions or makes references to Japan more than four times in his  classic Ethiopia Unbound[1](2014) and reflected on Japan’s victory in the Russo-Japanese War of 1895(2014:113-114) in relation to the colonial question. Danquah on his part will insist that Japan’s industrialization was an example Ghana should emulate(Danquah,1997:188).  It is not farfetched to surmise that Nkrumah, heir to this nationalist and intellectual tradition, will seek to tap into Japan’s developmental experience as soon as Ghana regained her freedom.

Latest figures from the International Monetary Fund report that sub-Saharan Africa posted a GDP growth of 1.4% for 2016, the lowest in two decades. The report carried by the Economist(June 1, 2017 edition) pointed to the seemingly enduring primary commodity dependence structure of these economies as being one of the causes of this laggard growth. Kaname Akamatsu’s(1962) thesis that Japan’s industrial breakthrough served as a model “flying geese” followed by East Asian countries is widely accepted.  Ghana today still remains a primary commodity exporting country. This conference will reflect on Japan’s unique developmentalist path and why Ghana has not been able to tap into this experience for her own industrialization and development after 60 years of diplomatic, trade, economic, cultural, technological and commercial ties with Japan. Can Japan serve as a “ flying geese” for Ghana going forward? How did Japan industrialize? What were the key institutions and policy moves for Japan’s industrial policy? What experiences has Ghana learnt so far for her development aspirations dealing with Japan? What are the impediments? What are some of the success stories?   Should the two nations recaliberate or maintain the forms and patterns of their relations thus far?  These are some of the searching questions the conference will seek to answer.

The Conference Organizing Committee invites proposals for panels, roundtables and papers on Ghana-Japan relations in their varied expressions across multiple sectors within the broader framework of contemporary emergent Africa-Asia relations. Proposals exploring the following thematic areas are strongly encouraged but should not be taken as exhaustive:

The Developmental State and Industrialization

Ideas, the Economy and National Transformation

Trade, Investment and Commercial Connections

Culture and Development

Diplomacy, Statecraft and Foreign Policy

Diasporization and Migration

ICT, Knowledge Society, New Media and Society

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education -Strategies and Experiences for Development

People to People Engagement

Ghana and Japanese Aid

Ghana and TICAD

Technological Innovation and Transfer

[1] First published in 1911.