Pakistan and Japan Sign Grant Agreements to Enhance Weather Surveillance and Healthcare

Islamabad, In a significant development, Pakistan and Japan have signed grant agreements to fund the installation of a weather surveillance radar in Sukkur City and extend maternal and child healthcare facilities in Sindh, reinforcing the bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

According to Press Information Department, the ceremony took place at the Ministry of Economic Affairs on April 4, 2024, where the Japanese government, through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), committed a total of JPY 1.503 billion (US$ 9.8 million) to these projects. Dr. Kazim Niaz, Secretary of the Economic Affairs Division, and Mr. Wada Mitsuhiro, Japanese Ambassador to Pakistan, signed the exchange notes, while the grant agreements were signed by Mr. Saeed Ashraf Siddiqi of the Economic Affairs Division and Mr. Naoaki Miyata, Chief Representative of JICA Pakistan.

The investments aim to boost the Pakistan Meteorological Department’s weather forecasting abilities and improve medical services at the Liaqat University Hospital in Hyderabad/Jamshoro. Both governments expressed a strong commitment to advancing their partnership for mutual benefits, focusing on significant developments in meteorological and healthcare sectors.