The Indian High Commission in Accra has set an ambitious target to double the value of trade between Ghana and India within the next five years to $6 billion.
Currently, trade between the two countries stands at $3 billion.
The Indian High Commissioner to Ghana, Manish Gupta, said the figure was expected to significantly increase, following the elevation of bilateral ties to a comprehensive partnership.
Mr Gupta made this known at a media interaction in Accra on Thursday, aimed at deepening engagement with the Ghanaian media and highlighting recent diplomatic developments, including the visit of Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, to Ghana earlier this month, the first by a sitting Indian head of government in 30 years.
The High Commissioner described the visit as “a historic milestone,” adding that it signalled a new era in India-Ghana relations.
“For the first time, coverage of Ghana in Indian media was unprecedented,” he said.
“From the Prime Minister’s arrival till his departure, the Indian media gave Ghana its due attention,” he mentioned.
He stated that both countries share a “privileged relationship,” rooted in historical ties dating back before Ghana’s independence, when India’s first Commissioner for West Africa was based in Accra.
“Our founding leaders, Dr Kwame Nkrumah and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, sowed the seeds for this emblematic relationship,” he added.
Key outcomes of the Prime Minister’s visit, he mentioned, included the signing of agreements on cultural exchange, traditional and herbal medicine collaboration, and institutionalised foreign office consultations at the ministerial level.
The High Commissioner also revealed that India would collaborate with Ghana’s University of Health and Allied Sciences and India’s to promote complementary medicine.
Furthermore, Mr Gupta said trade and investment would continue to be the cornerstone of the relationship, alongside co-operation in agriculture, food processing, health, vaccine production, ICT, education, and security.
“India and Ghana are largely in sync on issues affecting the Global South,” he said.
He also announced a doubling of annual training and scholarship slots under the Indian Technical and Economic Co-operation (ITEC) and Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) programmes.
“From this year, over 100 public officials, students and business leaders from Ghana are expected to benefit annually from fully-funded Government of India programmes,” he noted.
Emphasising the media’s role in strengthening democracy and international relations, Mr Gupta urged Ghanaian journalists to remain active partners in promoting bilateral co-operation between Ghana and India.
“We want to deepen those partnerships, and we are already working on it,” he stated.
The event was attended by officials of the High Commission, including heads of its commercial, political, and cultural wings, as well as media practitioners and stakeholders.
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