On Thursday 17th February 2022, the Chief Executive Officer of Obara Kogyo Co. Ltd, Ms. Nanako Akiyama paid a courtesy call on H.E. Ambassador Baraka Luvanda at the Embassy. The courtesy meeting was also attended by Embassy officers, namely, Mr. John Kambona, Mr. Greyson Ishengoma and Mr. Hosea Chikolongo.
After the exchange of courtesies, Mr. John Kambona introduced Ms. Akiyama to H.E. Ambassador Luvanda by describing her as a long-time friend of Tanzania and that in the year 2020 she visited Tanzania tourist attractions along with members of Japan Billionaires School. He further introduced her as Chief Executive Officer of Obara Kogyo Company, a company which manufactures prosthetics and orthotics for the artificial limb production. The meeting was informed about the company’s generous contribution of medical equipment worth more than eighty (80) million Tanzanian shillings which were handed over to Muhimbili Orthopedic Institute (MOI) Tanzania in 2020. Mr. Kambona further informed that the company has already expressed its intention to eventually invest in Tanzania by opening a factory.
Ambassador Luvanda thanked Ms. Akiyama for the special attachment and relationship she has established with Tanzania. He also appreciated for Ms. Akiyama’s efforts to mobilize members of Japan Billionaires School to visit Tanzania in 2020 and said that he was hopeful that they will find other opportunities to visit in future.
In the same vein, Ambassador Luvanda commended her for the decision to invest in Tanzania adding that, Tanzania has a large youth population who use motorcycles as their major means of transport both in urban and rural areas where majority of Tanzanians reside. “Whereas the growing use of these motorcycles has eased transport to many and has created employment to the youths, it has also brought about injuries and sometimes deaths, he said”. He therefore commended the initiative by the company to invest in artificial limb production which will help bring back to life those injured in motorcycle accidents.
Ambassador Luvanda further urged Ms. Akiyama to roll out her investment plan soonest, stating that Tanzania is the best place, with predictable policies, legal and institutional frameworks. He also assured her of the support from the Embassy in the realization of this important project.
Ms. Akiyama thanked Ambassador Luvanda for the warm welcome and for the word of encouragement. She pledged to take up her plan to invest in Tanzania as a matter of utmost priority.