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The Indian High Commission in Ghana has commemorated the Indian-Ghana Partnership Day in recognition of the long-standing developmental partnership between the two countries.
The ceremony held at the India House in Accra last Friday evening, aimed at fostering the over six decades of bilateral relation and mutual respect between Ghana and India.
The event, which was graced by the Indian Community in Ghana, also focused on enhancing Ghana’s benefits in the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme, an initiative instituted in 1964 by the Government of India towards advancing South-South cooperation, which has seen over 200,000 beneficiaries in over 160 countries.
The ITEC programme aims to promote capacity building and knowledge sharing between India and other countries, particularly in areas of development and economic growth.
In his address, the Indian High Commissioner to Ghana, Manish Gupta, underscored the longstanding relationship between the two countries.
“India-Ghana bilateral ties are deep-rooted, anchored in a rich historical legacy and shared values. Indian diplomatic presence in Ghana predates its independence. Notably, these are well supplemented by people-to-people linkages.
“India’s first Prime Minister, Pandit Nehru, and (first) Ghanaian President Dr Kwame Nkrumah shared a special bond of friendship.
The vision of our founding fathers and their fraternal bonds are the bedrock of this relationship that has grown from strength to strength,” he said.
Mr Gupta reaffirmed India’s commitment to expanding its partnership with Ghana in all sectors, working towards the adoption of cost-effective technologies and sharing best practices and expertise through capacity building.
He announced that the Indian government had increased Ghana’s slot in the ITEC Programme by 50 per cent as part of the effort to deepen relations with Ghana and build the capacity of more Ghanaians in diverse fields.
This, he said, translated into “the government of India providing over 400 fully financed slots for Ghanaians towards higher education for graduate, postgraduate and doctorate programmes, and training under the ITEC programme in health, governance, environment, ICT and other disciplines of various duration and defence training”.
The Indian High Commissioner touted his country’s investment of over $2 billion in Ghana in the last 15 years and also undertaking some major infrastructure projects across the country, including the Jubilee House, the Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT, the Foreign Policy Training Institute and the Tema-Mpakadan railway line project, among others.
The Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Emelia Arthur, who was the Special Guest for the event, reaffirmed the Ghanaian government’s commitment “to fostering an enabling environment for investment and partnerships that will drive the transformation of our fisheries and aquaculture sector”.
She lauded the Indian government for its support in providing a Concessionary Line of Credit used to finance the Improved Fish Harvesting and Fish Processing Project aimed at improving fish processing and handling while reducing post-harvest losses in the informal fisheries sector.
Ms Arthur pledged Ghana’s continued commitment to fostering a productive partnership with India.
She called for a deepened partnership to strengthen institutional and technical cooperation through agreements and research collaboration.
The minister further highlighted the need for the two countries to facilitate Business-to-Business engagements to create investment opportunities and enhance knowledge sharing through training programmes and study tours.
She appealed to the Indian government to support the expansion of aquaculture to create jobs and wealth for the youth in the country.
