North Macedonia Eyes Healthcare and Education Grants from Japan

Minister for European Affairs Orhan Murtezani, in his capacity as national coordinator for foreign aid, held a bilateral meeting Thursday in Osaka, Japan, with officials of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Kei Toyama, Chief Representative for the Middle East and Europe, and Eri Nakamura, Director for Europe, CE Report quotes MIA.

The fruitful and long-term cooperation between North Macedonia and Japan was reaffirmed in the meeting as regards bilateral development aid, amounting to over $421 million, the Ministry for European Affairs said.

Minister Murtezani thanked for Japan’s continuing support, especially through the Official Development Assistance (ODA), which has provided substantial aid for projects in healthcare, environment and the private sector and for programs on human resources development and local projects through Grassroots Grant Projects (GGP), whose budget significantly increased since 2018.

“One of the most successful initiatives include the project on application of solutions based on eco-systems to reduce disaster risks and the program on mentoring small and medium-sized enterprises, considered an example for effective and sustainable cooperation,” said the Ministry for European Affairs.

Highlighting the strategic importance of the Technical Cooperation Agreement with Japan, which entered into force in February 2024, Murtezani said it represents a foundation for the opening of a JICA office in Skopje, considered an important step in advancing efficiency and coordination in implementing joint projects.

In the talks, the Macedonian officials proposed an idea on expanding the partnership by advancing healthcare and education cooperation and on examining ways for securing grants for development initiatives in these areas.

Also, it was confirmed that two new initiatives will be supported in the fiscal year 2025, namely to resume the mentorship program for small and medium-sized enterprises and to engage a regional expert on tourism development, which will further enrich the spectrum of joint activities, said the press release.