Sony Group Activities

JICA and Sony For the Next Generation in Ghana 2009

The Ghana National Team not only represented Africa at the 2006 FIFA Word Cup TM, but also holds strong hopes of proceeding to the 2010 FIFA Word Cup TM. Football is extremely popular throughout the country, but television ownership is only 21% and is concentrated in the urban areas. As a result, many people cannot enjoy watching football.

Against this backdrop, Sony made a proposal to the international cooperation agency, JICA, to utilize such football resources as live broadcasts of matches in the FIFA Confederations Cup 2009TM held in South Africa, as well as broadcasts of recordings of matches played by Ghana at the 2006 FIFA Word Cup TM, through the application of Sony’s resources of technology, products, and personnel as a part of Sony’s social contribution activity※1.

Sony installed its 200-inch large screen imaging device※2 at the HIV and AIDS awareness and education events utilizing the mass media as part of the Project for HIV and AIDS Prevention through Education (HAPE Project) that is supported by JICA and hosted by the relevant authorities in Ghana. Many youths in the country do not usually have the opportunity to watch television; with the authorization of FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association), a partner of Sony, football matches were broadcast free of charge in high definition format. By sharing the dreams and excitement evoked through football, this initiative succeeded in attracting many more people to the HIV and AIDS awareness and education events.

The collaborative program between JICA and Sony succeeded in attracting around 9,000 participants; ordinary events only attract 3,000 to 4,000 participants. Especially in the rural areas where television ownership is low and watching football broadcasting is difficult, approximately 7,200 of the people participated, which is five times more than the usual figure of around 1,500.

Moreover, 1,100 people, a whopping three times more than the usual figure, visited the HIV/AIDS counseling and test site, and have taken HIV tests. This confirmed the significant impact the collaborative effort had in raising HIV and AIDS awareness.

Going forward, JICA and Sony will continue dialogue regarding further collaborative efforts between JICA’s supportive programs and Sony’s social contribution activities leading up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup TM.

※1 For its social contribution activities, the Sony Group has established the theme, "For the Next Generation" and it aims "to meet the needs of the times and society through Sony´s strengths in the various regions around the world where Sony operates" through collaborative programs with external organizations that contribute to educating the next generation and the establishment of a sustainable society. In recent years, Sony has been contributing to the realization of the MDGs and has commenced supportive activities in Africa.
※2 large screen imaging devices, included Sony´s video projectors, Blue Ray players, and audio mixers.

Reference: photographs from Ghana