A new training facility to be built for Tonga Rugby Union and upgraded water system for the village of Mataika in Vava'u, are two new projects funded by the Embassy of Japan under its Grass-Roots Human Security Projects (GGP).
During a grant contract signing ceremony held today at the Ministry of Finance, St. George Building, in Nuku'alofa, Japan's Ambassador HE Inagaki Hisao said the GGP projects support various challenges to basic human needs in small, grass-root level communities in Tonga.
“The grant amount of GGP may seem small, but it is flexible and useful. It can focus on various basic human needs at the grass-root level in a timely manner,” he said.
The first project is the construction of a training facility for the Tonga Rugby Union in Fasi-moe-Afi in Tongatapu.
This building will mainly be used for the newly established High-Performance Academy, which aims to produce professional rugby players at an international level.
“Rugby has played an important role in facilitating cultural and people-to-people exchanges between our two countries. Rugby diplomacy at all levels has been going on between Tonga and Japan for almost 45 years. I hope this partnership will continue for a long time to come," HE Inagaki said.
Mataika water supply
The second project is to improve the water supply system in the village of Mataika in Vava’u. For a long time, the people of Mataika have faced difficulties in obtaining an adequate water supply due to the deterioration of the pipelines and the water tank tower.
Through this GGP project with assistance from the Tonga Water Board, the entire village water system of Mataika will be updated.
“I believe that friendship is the basis for the cooperation with Tonga toward the realization of a “free and open Indo-Pacific” based on the rule of law, and we will work to further strengthen our relationship. I hope that these projects will play an important role in building stronger and more resilient societies in this Kingdom, and that our friendship will continue to be enriched by our cooperation," HE Inagaki said.
Tonga Rugby Union CEO Mr. ‘Aisea ‘Aholelei, Mataika town officer Mr. Vili Moli Havea, and others attended the signing ceremony.
As of today, more than 300 GGP projects have been implemented by Japan in Tonga.
