PM Modi And Ghana President Mahama Upgrade Ties to Comprehensive Partnership, Sign Key MoUs

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Ghanaian President John Mahama in Accra on Wednesday, where the two leaders decided to upgrade the relationship between India and Ghana to a Comprehensive Partnership. This important decision is expected to open new opportunities for the two countries to work more closely in areas like critical minerals, defence, maritime security, and energy. It also highlights India’s growing focus on building stronger ties with African nations and the Global South.

After their meeting, Prime Minister Modi shared on the social media platform X that India and Ghana see great potential in working together in critical minerals, defence, maritime security, and energy. He also mentioned that both countries discussed ways to increase cultural exchanges. This marks the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ghana in more than three decades, making it a significant step in the two countries’ friendship.

During this visit, India and Ghana signed four agreements to improve cooperation in key areas such as culture, health, standardisation, and regular discussions between their institutions. These agreements were signed after delegation-level talks led by Prime Minister Modi and President Mahama. Secretary (Economic Relations) Dammu Ravi gave details about the agreements during a press briefing. He said that the first agreement is to set up a Joint Commission, which will allow both countries to hold high-level meetings regularly to review and guide their growing partnership. The second agreement focuses on traditional medicine, where there is room for both sides to exchange knowledge and provide training. The third agreement is a cultural exchange programme that is expected to encourage more cultural activities and tourism. The fourth agreement deals with setting standards and improving cooperation between India’s Bureau of Indian Standards and the Ghana Standards Authority.

The agreement on cultural exchange is aimed at bringing people from both countries closer together through art, music, dance, literature, and heritage. The traditional medicine agreement, signed by Ghana’s Institute of Traditional and Alternative Medicine and India’s Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda, will allow both countries to learn from each other in education, training, and research on traditional healing practices. Meanwhile, the standardisation agreement is meant to help ensure products and services meet proper quality norms, which will benefit businesses and consumers in both countries.

Prime Minister Modi also spoke about how trade ties between India and Ghana are growing stronger. He said that Indian companies have already invested nearly two billion dollars in about 900 projects in Ghana. Both countries have now set a target to double their trade in the next five years. The prime minister added that India is ready to share its experience in digital payments through its UPI system, which has transformed how people in India pay for goods and services. This is expected to help Ghana develop its own digital economy.

Both leaders also agreed to explore more cooperation in mining critical minerals, which are important for modern technologies and clean energy. Prime Minister Modi said that terrorism remains a big threat to humanity and thanked Ghana for supporting India in its fight against terrorism. He added that both countries have decided to strengthen their cooperation in counter-terrorism efforts. In the area of defence and security, he said India and Ghana would follow the principle of “security through solidarity” and would work together in training armed forces, maritime security, defence supplies, and cyber security.

The two leaders also spoke about the conflicts in West Asia and Europe. They agreed that all problems should be settled through talks and peaceful methods. Secretary Dammu Ravi shared that President Mahama asked for India’s support in developing agriculture so Ghana can become a food basket and ensure food security for its people. Prime Minister Modi agreed to help Ghana in this area.

In addition, Ghana is looking to become a centre for vaccine production. President Mahama said he wants Indian companies to come and set up manufacturing units in Ghana. Some work has already started with help from the Global Vaccine Alliance, and India’s experience in pharmaceuticals and vaccines is expected to play a big role in helping Ghana achieve this goal.

This visit by Prime Minister Modi is expected to give a big boost to India-Ghana relations. By upgrading their ties to a Comprehensive Partnership and signing these new agreements, both countries are showing their commitment to building a stronger friendship that will benefit their people and help them grow together.