The Japanese government, on Thursday, pledged assistance of $3 million to Nigeria to combat cholera epidemic.

Suzuki Hideo, Japanese ambassador-designate to Nigeria, said this at the Japanese emperor’s 65th birthday reception held in Abuja.

He revealed that the assistance was funded by a recently approved supplementary budget for the current fiscal year.

Japan has been a steady partner in providing humanitarian and development support to Nigeria. Following the visit of Japan’s former foreign minister in April 2024, Japan announced an emergency loan of 108 million dollars to support Nigeria.

This loan was part of the food security loan signed between Japan and Nigeria at the Tokyo international conference on agriculture development.

He added that there was also a grant of $5.4 million to enhance the country’s agricultural and health capabilities in 2024.

Japan’s government has been working with international organisations to provide assistance to Nigeria.

In 2023, Japan’s supplementary budget allocated two million in emergency aid to support peace and stability in the North-East and disaster prevention efforts using Japan’s expertise.

The envoy said that since the birth of the emperor in 1960, which also coincided with when Nigeria gained independence, this marked the beginning of a diplomatic bilateral relation that has continued to deepen over the years.

(NAN)