Southern Province Permanent Secretary Gladys Kristafor has described Japan as a reliable partner in the improvement of the Zambian economy.
Mrs. Kristafor said for this reason, the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) had become a household name in the country due to its involvement in various projects that uplift the lives of people, especially the underprivileged.
She said this during the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOVC) 40th Anniversary exhibition at the Livingstone Museum yesterday.
Mrs. Kristafor said through JOVC, Japanese citizens have helped in improving lives of the less privileged people in Zambia and many other parts of the world.
She added that Japan had also helped in meeting various human resource needs in the country.
The Permanent Secretary has since commended the Japanese government for its outstanding work ethics, which she said could help significantly, if adopted by Zambians.
And speaking earlier, Livingstone Museum Director, Vincent Katanekwa said Japan had risen from being on the periphery to the centre of the economic power in the world economic arena due to its hardworking citizens.
Mr. Katanekwa said the JOVC was aimed at promoting cultural appreciation and awareness between Japan and other parts of the world in a bid to build understanding and acceptance among different peoples around the world.
He said the promotion of cultural appreciation was a key ingredient in fostering world peace.
Mr. Katanekwa said the four Japanese volunteers that have been posted to his institution were working on the development of a computer based cataloguing system for the museum’s collections.
He said the system was being tested for computerization of the museum’s collections to facilitate the sharing of information among museums and research institutions.
He added that the system would also make the museum collections more accessible to the public.
Meanwhile, JOVC Representative Mitsuhiro Kimura said Zambia had a long and deep relationship with Japan which spanned over a period of 40 years.
ZANIS
Chachine, not China-man. However I have not seen any Japanese investment in Zambia. Can somebody educate me on this. Apart from the JICA funded Vet. School at Unza, are there any other major Japanse investment pa Zed bane?
Nshamonapo
The japanese are very racist.They would rather not invest than mix with kirfirs.Read this book,’Capitalist Nigger’,by chika onyeani.