Mr Abe was a passionate leader – Mahama eulogises assassinated former Japanese leader
Former President John Dramani Mahama has said he is “greatly shocked by the assassination of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe”.
BBC news report updates on July 9, 2022, suggested that a gunman opened fire on Abe at a political campaign event – a crime that has profoundly shocked Japan
As the longest-serving member of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Japan, ex_prime minister Abe was said to have been campaigning for the LDP in the run-up to upper house parliamentary elections when the attack occurred.
Meanwhile, the former president of Ghana Mr Mahama who called for the perpetrators to be brought to book remarked that Minister Abe’s legacy would be remembered fondly by Ghana, Africa and the world at large for a long time to come.
Mr Mahama wrote on Facebook that “As President of Ghana, through my side meetings with him at international conferences and two official visits to Japan, I found him to be a leader passionate about opening up Japan’s role on the world stage, inclusive of expanding Japan-Africa relations”
He further observed, “I recall our last meeting in May of 2016, which led to the official publication of the restoration of the Yen loan portfolio to Ghana and the announcement of Japan’s commitment to assist Ghana with a number of important new and ongoing projects. These included the Tema motorway interchange project, expansion of the Sekondi fishing harbour, expansion and upgrade of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research into an Advanced Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, and the construction of a new bridge over the Southern Volta river at Volivo, among others”.
Urging the bereaved family to take heart while investigations are pursued, Mr Mahama said “At this time, my thoughts and prayers are with his bereaved family and the Japanese people in the wake of this senseless crime”.
