Mr. Gupta stated that India is one of Ghana's leading trade partners, with bilateral trade amounting to around $3 billion. He said that sectors such as agriculture, health, education, railways, SMEs, infrastructure, and telecom were prominent areas for Indian investment.

Mr. Gupta made the remarks at a dinner reception organized by the High Commission to commemorate India's 76th Republic Day and celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Indian Constitution.

The event, which featured performances showcasing Indian culture, heritage, and history, was themed "Swarnim Bharat - Virasataur Vikas," meaning Golden India - Heritage and Development.

Mr. Gupta said that the celebration was not only about India's achievements but also reflected the mutual progress of both India and Ghana as they worked towards building a more equitable and prosperous world.

"People-to-people linkages are the bedrock of our relationship. The nearly 15000 strong Indian Ghanaian community and our ever-expanding circle of Ghanaian friends are the living bridges connecting our two countries. Now some Ghanaian players are playing in the Indian Football League," he said.

Mr. Gupta mentioned that India-Ghana bilateral relations had been deeply rooted in mutual trust and respect since the time of India's first Prime Minister, Pandit Nehru, and Ghana's first President, Kwame Nkrumah.

He noted that this strong relationship had led to the construction of several key projects, including the Jubilee House, the Foreign Services Institute, and the Ghana India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT, which had trained over 50,000 people in the past two decades.
"Cooperation programme and Education Scholarships have a good uptake. In Ghana, the programme has an excellent uptake with over 4000 beneficiaries.

"Our largest ever development partnership project in Ghana is the Tema-Mpakadan Railway Line with financing of around $450 million by the Indian EXIM Bank in 2024," the High Commissioner said.

The dinner reception was attended by various government officials, including Mr. Eric Opoku, Minister for Food and Agriculture, who was the Chief Guest, Samuel George, Minister-designate for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation, and Madam Emelia Arthur, Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development.

Other dignitaries in attendance included Madam Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, former Foreign Affairs Minister; Akua Sena Dansoa, former Minister for Youth and Sports; Mr. Albert Kofi Owusu, General Manager of the Ghana News Agency; and Samia Nkrumah, former Member of Parliament for Jomoro in 2008.

Mr. Eric Opoku, speaking on behalf of the government, commended the Indian government for its invaluable contributions to Ghana's socio-economic development over the years, and emphasised that future engagements would further strengthen the ties between the two countries.

"India is the largest destination for Ghanaian exports. Ghana has a positive trade balance with India mainly due to the huge imports of gold by India which accounts for nearly 80 per cent of total imports from Ghana," he said.