The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration on Tuesday, December 4 officially renamed the 5th Avenue Extension Road the Dr. Noguchi Road in honour of the late Japanese scientist and researcher, Dr. Hideyo Noguchi.
In 1927, the late Dr Noguchi travelled to the then Gold Coast to research into Yellow Fever.
Through his in-depth research and immense contribution to the health sector, the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) was established at the University of Ghana, Legon.
The Institute stands as an iconic symbol of the longstanding friendship between Ghana and Japan.
It was built almost 40 years ago by the government of Japan and donated to the government and people of Ghana in honour of the Japanese national.
“Dr Noguchi did a lot for Ghana, the Noguchi Institute is one of the most excellent institutions in research work here and in return, the Government of Ghana has decided to honour him by renaming this stretch after him.
“That is why as a Foreign Ministry, we are mandated to do this on behalf of the people of Ghana,” a Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alhaji Mohammed Habibu Tijani, noted.
“We wanted to surprise them. Just two days ago we were with them to celebrate the Emperor’s birthday. We are glad we could successfully pull off this surprise.”
On his part the Japanese Ambassador to Ghana Tsutomi Himeno said: “This was a pleasant surprise to us, we knew nothing about it. We say a big thank you to Ghana.”
The Dr. Noguchi Road starts from the Switchback Road to the first junction near the Japan Embassy.
The Noguchi Link is 900 metres with a width of 8.5 metres. It was constructed in 2015.
The bonds of friendship between Ghana and Japan date back to 1927.
By Natalie Fort|3news.com|Ghana