Accra, Ghana//-India and Ghana have pledged to continue to deepen their commitment to their unique economic, cultural, and multilateral-level partnerships for mutual benefit.
The Acting India High Commissioner to Ghana, Cd’A, S. Chinpau Ngaihte made the pledge at a reception for a high-profile delegation from India in Accra as part of the ongoing 66th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Accra.
He added that Ghana shares a lot of cordial relations with India built on many years of mutual respect and cooperation.
Mr Ngaihte therefore pledged that the Indian government is committed to further deepening its partnership with Ghana in all sectors towards the adoption of cost-effective technologies, sharing best practices and expertise through capacity building and training programmes for the benefit of the people.
On his part, the Indian Member of Parliament (MP), Lok Sabha from Jhansi-Lalitpur constituency of Uttar Pradesh, Anurag Sharma said the two countries deliberate on various sectors of mutual interest to achieve economic growth and development.
He noted that India and Ghana are championing the course of the global south and must be supported by all.
Mr Sharma indicated: “India ranks among Ghana’s top trading partners and investors with our annual bilateral trade exceeding $3 billion.
With a democratic government, rule of law, and stable political environment, India’s business and industries promise opportunities contributing to Ghana’s economic development job creation, and capacity building in sectors such as agriculture, technology, and pharmaceuticals”.
Ghana’s Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and MP for Suame Constituency, Ashanti Region, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu was confident that the relations between the countries would develop to benefit its citizens.
Economic ties
Trade between Ghana and India is recovering after dropping in 2020 due to the pandemic. The volumes of trade between the two countries which stood at $4.5 billion before the pandemic, recorded about 15% gains from $2.3 billion to settle at a current value of $2.7 billion and it is expected to grow above the pre-pandemic figure.
Ghana’s major exports to India include gold, cashew, cocoa, nuts, and timber products. India’s major exports to Ghana include pharmaceuticals, agricultural machinery, transport vehicles, electrical equipment, plastics, iron & steel, beverages & spirits, cereals, and made-up textiles.
India is also among the top five trading partners of Ghana and is the largest destination for Ghanaian exports. 80% of total imports from Ghana to India consists of gold, according to trade data.
India has committed more than a half billion dollars to Ghana for the past decades”.
The Asian country’s credit lines include a $24.98 million credit facility to the Ghanaian government for the construction of an assembling plant to boost the agriculture sector.
The credit facility would be used for building the structure for the assembling plant, supply of knockdowns and fabrication of agriculture implements including tractors, backhoe loaders, power tillers, power reapers, power pumps, and paddy threshers.
The project when completed is to support smallholder farmers to boost agricultural productivity, diversify the manufacturing base of the country and create jobs for the people.
Other key ongoing projects supported by the Indian government are- the construction of a 97.620km railway line from Tema to Mpakadan by Messrs Afcons Infrastructure Limited of India.
The $447.173 million project has been completed and it is waiting to be commissioned by the President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
The implementation of the $30.0 million Rehabilitation and Up-Grading of Potable Water Project in Yendi in the Northern Region, the Strengthening of Agricultural Mechanisation Service Centres (AMSECs) Project of $150.0 million, and the recently completed Foreign Service Training Institute Project (US$5.0 million), which was handed over to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration (MFARI) in March 2022.
The Indian diplomat was quick to add that his home country would give special focus on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as India’s new priority to speed up the transformation of the two developing countries.
Skills and capacity building
Ghanaian beneficiaries of the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) scheme are putting the knowledge they acquired into good use for the benefit of the country.
The Indian government through the ITEC programme had provided technical assistance worth billions of dollars to developing countries, including Ghana.
Since the inception of the scheme in 1964, it has benefited thousands of students and professionals from Africa, while India spends over $100 million annually on ITEC activities.
Ghana has been one of the major participating countries under the ITEC scheme.
India-Ghana bilateral relations
India’s relations with Ghana have been long and historic and enjoy exemplary bilateral relationships.
The strong foundation of India-Ghana friendship was laid by India’s first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, and Ghana’s first President Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
This friendship and bilateral cooperation between the two countries have grown steadily and have stood the test of time, he stressed.
The Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT and the Golden Jubilee House are shining examples of India-Ghana bilateral cooperation.
