The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has promised a stronger partnership with Japan to fast-track ongoing development in the FCT.

Mr Wike made the promise when the Japanese ambassador to Nigeria, Suzuki Hideo, and other officials visited him in Abuja on Tuesday.

He noted the ongoing partnership with Japan to review the 1979 Abuja Master Plan, saying the move would align the city’s growth with modern realities through the year 2050.

The minister commended Japan’s historic contributions to Nigeria, noting that the original blueprint of the FCT owes much to Japanese expertise.

“I am fully aware of Japan’s interventions in Nigeria through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

“I also know the design of Abuja was done by Japan, and now we need to look at it again with a view to accommodating other structural development,” he said.

The minister commended the Japanese government for its consistent support for Nigeria’s education, health, and nutrition sectors, including the training of Nigerian teachers in Tokyo.

While accepting an invitation to lead a delegation to Japan for a high-level study tour, Mr Wike pledged the FCT Administration’s continued partnership with Japan.

Earlier, Mr Hideo lauded Mr Wike’s leadership and reaffirmed Japan’s commitment to co-creating a shared future for FCT and the country.

The ambassador said the government of Japan and JICA have been engaged in various development projects, including basic infrastructure such as electricity and healthcare.

He added that Japan was also advancing projects in waste management and industrial development, including a plastics value chain initiative in collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation.

Mr Hideo explained that the initiative, a pilot plastic collection facility, was designed to promote the plastics value chain in the nation’s capital and invited Mr Wike to the handover ceremony scheduled for March 26th.

The envoy further highlighted ongoing efforts to upgrade the Abuja Master Plan through JICA, to improve residents’ quality of life and support sustainable urban growth.

The chief representative of JICA, Ishigame Keiji, said the agency was ready to move quickly into priority infrastructure development, delivering visible, rapid results.

“Our goal is to upgrade the original 1979 Master Plan to meet the needs of Abuja up to the year 2050.

“We are focusing on four key value additions: driving economic development and job creation, and integrating the private sector.

“Others are ensuring sustainability through strategic environmental assessment, and addressing contemporary themes like climate resilience and social inclusion,” he said.

Mr Keiji further provided details of JICA’s extensive interventions in the FCT, including a $9 million solar power project for water treatment that saves the FCT Water Board N31 million annually.

He also highlighted an $11 million diagnostic upgrade for the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and a $12 million project to stabilise the city’s power grid.

Mr Keiji added that the project would be managed by five technical working groups comprising JICA experts and officials from the Federal Capital Development Authority.

(NAN)