On January 26th, 2026, Executive Director, Aomi Katagiri visited H. E. Mrs. Genevieve Edna Apaloo, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Ghana to Japan. Katagiri introduced the activities of Reaching Zero-Dose Children and shared perspectives on the current state of health cooperation between Ghana and Japan, particularly focusing on the areas of maternal and child health, immunization, and access to healthcare. Ambassador Apaloo shared advice on key perspectives and potential areas for collaboration during the Ghana Study Tour scheduled in February 2026.
Ambassador Apaloo expressed her appreciation toward our organization’s advocacy efforts in the health sector connecting Ghana and Japan. She specifically noted that the organization's communications appropriately recognize the diverse populations, cultures, and regional contexts in the African continent.
Regarding the planned Study Tour, Ambassador Apaloo emphasized the importance of engaging with nurses and midwives who play a central role in the continuous follow-up of children when visiting healthcare facilities. She identified nutrition and malaria as key health challenges in Ghana,while highlighting access to healthcare as the country’s most significant issue. She further noted that the malaria vaccine remains in the early stages of introduction in Ghana and may not yet be widely distributed, and that documenting and sharing on-the-ground observations would be highly meaningful.
