Putting the agenda of deepening ties with the African countries on a fast-track, India and Ghana on Monday signed three bilateral agreements to strengthen co-operation in varied fields.
Though symbolic in nature, the pacts came during the first ever visit of the President Pranab Mukherjee to the country. Ghana is the first of the six-day African tour of the President which commenced on Sunday. The other two include yet another maiden trip by a President to Ivory Coast and to Namibia after a gap of two decades.
The three agreements signed with Ghana, after delegation levels talks between Mr. Mukherjee and his Ghanaian counterpart John Dramani Mahama., included one for visa waivers for holders of diplomatic and official passports and one for setting up a Joint Commission.
The Commission framework will periodically review various aspects of the multi-dimensional relationship between the two countries. A mutually convenient date for its first meeting will be decided later.
After the hosting of the 3rd India Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) in New Delhi in October 2015, India is working on a plan to consolidate and further strengthen its engagement with Africa.
In an informal interaction with the accompanying media delegation on board his aircraft the President said that his Africa tour was part of series of engagements at the highest level. “”41 of the 54 heads of the African states of the IAFS were present at the Delhi meet. Heads of these countries regularly visit India”, he said.
The President said that a series of high level visits is taking place this year from India to Africa. And his visit to Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire and Namibia is coming immediately after the visit of Vice-President of India, Hamid Ansari to Morocco and Tunisia. “My visit will be followed by visits to countries of East and South Africa by Prime Minister Narendra Modi”, Mr. Mukherjee said.
Later in the evening Mr. Mukherjee will pay homage to Ghana’s first President Kwame Nkrumah at his mausoleum in Accra. He will also unveil a statue of Mahatma Gandhi that was gifted by the ICCR, besides planting a sapling.
The President will visit the India-Ghana Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT, set up by India, and will meet its faculty and alumni.
India is the largest foreign investor in Ghana today, with more than 700 investment projects. More than 222 of these projects are in the manufacturing sector.
Bilateral trade between India and Ghana has increased to $1.2 billion from $538 million in 2010.
