India-Ghana Relations

Political relations:

Indo-Ghanaian relations have traditionally been warm and friendly. The strong foundation of our bilateral relations was laid by India’s first Prime Minister, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, and Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. The two great leaders also enjoyed a close friendship.

Major visits from Ghana in the past include the visit of President Nkrumah in 1961 and President Limann in 1981. President Rawlings made a stopover in Mumbai on his way from Beijing in 1993, and again visited India in 1997 to attend the funeral ceremony of Late Mother Teresa. In addition, there were several Ministerial visits, including that of the Foreign Minister for the NAM Ministerial Conference in April 1986.

President Kufuor, accompanied by a high level delegation visited India in August 2002. Four bilateral agreements were signed including one which relates to the setting up of a Centre of Excellence for Training in Information Technology in Accra (which became operational in December 2003); and Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPPA); Protocol on Consultations between MEA and Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and a Cultural and Scientific Exchange Programme. The Vice President of Ghana H.E. Alhaji Aliu Mahama, led a large Ghanaian delegation to the CII conclave held in New Delhi in March 2008. In April 2008, President Kufuor visited India to participate in India-Africa Forum Summit held in New Delhi.

Vice President John Dramani Mahama accompanied by Minister of Trade & Industry Ms. Hanna Tetteh visited India to participate in the CII-Exim Bank Conclave in March 2010. Minister of Youth and Sports, Hon’ble Ms. Akua Sena Dansua visited India in October 2010 as head of the Ghanaian contingent to the XIX Commonwealth Games 2010 in Delhi. The Minister of Trade and Industry of Ghana Ms. Hanna Tetteh led the Ghanaian delegation to the Joint Trade Committee in January, 2011 and in January, 2012 for the 18th Partnership Summit (New Age Innovation Partnership, 2012) held at Hyderabad. Mr. Kwesi Ahwoi, Minister of Food and Agriculture, led a Ghanaian delegation to India on 21-26 March, 2011 for discussions on the joint venture fertilizer project. Dr. Joseph S. Annan, Deputy Minister of Trade & Industry led the Ghanaian delegation to the 7th CII-EXIM Bank Conclave on India-Africa Project Partnership held in Delhi on 27-29 March, 2011. Ms. Samia Nkrumah, MP, was also part of the delegation. She visited India again on 15-22 March 2012 under ICCR’s ‘Distinguished Visitors Programme’.

Leading a 4-member delegation, Ms. Sherry Ayittey, Minister of Environment Science and Technology, participated in the 11th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 11) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) held in Hyderabad from 17-19 October, 2012.

Major visits from India include the visit of the then Prime Minister Shri P. V. Narasimha Rao, accompanied by a high level delegation on 8-9 November 1995 on his return from Burkina Faso. During the visit, an agreement to form the Joint Commission between India and Ghana was signed. The then Minister of State for External Affairs, Shri Anand Sharma, led a high level delegation to Ghana on 24-26 May 2006 for the CII-EXIM Regional Conclave on India-Africa Project Partnership and TEAM-9 Ministerial Meeting. Subsequently, MOS(AS) visited Accra: on 4-7 March, 2007 to attend the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of Ghana’s Independence; in July 2008 as Special Envoy of Prime Minister; on 9-11 November, 2008 for the inauguration of the Presidential Complex financed partly through a Line of Credit provided by EXIM Bank of India; in Jan. 2009 as Special Envoy of Prime Minister to convey good wishes of the Government and people of India to new Government headed by President John Evans Atta Mills. Shri Anand Sharma visited Ghana as Minister of Commerce and Industry (CIM) on 1-3 September 2010 as leader of a high level business delegation for the India-Ghana CEOs Round Table held in Accra. The visit formed part of India’s “Focus Africa” policy.

Minister of State for External Affairs Dr. Shashi Tharoor made a short transit halt in Accra en route India from Liberia on 19 September, 2009. He called on President Atta Mills and discussed with him matters of mutual interest. Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA), Shri Vayalar Ravi visited Ghana on 1-3 February 2010 as part of his visit to some African countries. During the visit MOIA called on President Atta Mills and also met with Interior Minister Cletus Avoka and Dy. Foreign Minister Chris Kpodo.

Minister of Commerce, Industry and Textiles Shri Anand Sharma led a high level official as well as business delegation to Accra on 8-10 July, 2012 on the occasion of the hosting of the ‘India Show’ in Ghana. The event was organized at Ghana International Trade Fair in Accra on 9-11 July, 2012 by the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) under the auspices of the Government of India and with the support from Ministry of Trade and Industry (Ghana), ECOWAS, Ghana Investment Promotion Centre and Ghana Association of Industries. During this visit, he held bilateral talks/meetings with the Minister of Foreign Affairs & Regional Integration, Minister of Trade & Industry, Minister of Energy and Minister of Food & Agriculture. He, jointly with the Minister of Trade & Industry of the Republic of Ghana inaugurated the India Show on 9 July and also addressed a Business Conference at Ghana Trade Fair Centre. Secretary (Fertilizer) with other Senior officials from Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizer, who were a part of the inter-Ministerial delegation, also met the Deputy Minister of Energy, the Regional Minister and the Deputy Regional Minister of Western Region of Ghana and held discussions relating to the setting up of a Joint Venture Fertilizer Plant in Ghana. He aslo visited the proposed site of the plant in Shama district of Western Region of Ghana.

Hon'ble Minister of State for External Affairs Smt Preneet Kaur visited Ghana on 9-10 August to attend the funeral service of the late President John Evans Atta Mills.

Presidential & Parliamentary Elections 2012

Incumbent President John Dramani Mahama of National Democratic Congress (NDC) was elected as the President in the recently concluded December 2012 Presidential elections. He polled 5,574,761 votes representing 50.70% to win the polls. The presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo- Addo secured 5,248,898 of the valid votes cast, representing 47.74%. The flag- bearer of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom was placed third with 64,362 votes representing 0.59. President Mahama was sworn-in for the first full term of 4 years on 7 January, 2013. A total of eight candidates including an independent candidate had contested the polls.

In the Parliamentary elections held simultaneously with the Presidential elections, the ruling NDC won 148 seats while the main Opposition party NPP won123 seats.

Commercial relations:

Ghana was included as one of the nine West African countries under the GOI’s TEAM 9 initiative. In recent years, India-Ghana relations have been enriched by enhanced South-South cooperation efforts between the two countries. India has been participating in Ghana’s development by providing assistance in setting up projects in the spirit of South-South cooperation through provision of Lines of Credit and grants. So far, Government of India has extended Lines of Credit amounting to US$ 228.73 million to Government of Ghana for various developmental projects being undertaken by the latter. Some of the projects have been completed while quite a few are in various stages of implementation. Amongst the recent projects are the India-Ghana Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence for ICT; the Flag Staff House; the Pan African E-Network Project and Rural Electrification Project. Other projects which are in the pipeline are in diverse sectors, inter alia, fisheries, waste management, railway equipment, agro-processing, fire-tenders. Ghana has also been a participant in India's contribution to the human resource development in developing countries through programmes such as the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC). In 2011-12, Ghana utilized 119 ITEC slots and 63 slots under various other schemes, including ICCR scholarship, capacity building courses by IIFT and India- Africa Forum Summit Plan of Action. For the financial year 2012-13, Ghana has been allotted 150 slots under the ITEC scheme.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on 6 July, 2010 between India and Ghana for the setting up a US$ 1.2 billion Joint Venture Fertilizer Project using gas to manufacture fertilizer. Another Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Government of India’s financial and technical assistance of Rs. 38.53 million (US$ 0.86 million approx.) to the India-Ghana Kofi Annan Center for Excellence in IT was signed on 30. March, 2011. The two-year technical assistance in the field of Information Technology and related services are being executed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) of India. India has also been providing concessional credit for development projects. The projects include supply of tractors, rural electrification, construction of Presidential complex etc. India has also offered to set up two projects, viz. India-Africa Institute of Information Technology (IAIIT) and Food Processing Business Incubation Centre in Ghana under the India-Africa Forum Summit.

According to available statistics, the trade turnover between the two countries stood at US$ 739.52 million during 2010-11 and US$ 1204.02 million (US$ 1.2 billion) in 2011-12, an increase of 62.81% over the preceding year with India’s exports to Ghana at US$ 800.35 million as against an import figure of US$ 403.67 million. This is the first time when the trade between the two countries has crossed the US$ 1 billion mark. Ghana’s main (traditional) exports are gold, cocoa and timber products. India’s major exports to Ghana include pharmaceuticals, telecommunication, agricultural machinery, electrical equipment, plastics, steel, cement etc. Total trade in 2012-13 (April – September) stood at US$ 573.44 million with exports from India and imports by India pegged at US$ 393.75 million and US$ 179.69 million respectively.

The exchange of business delegations in recent years have led to an increase in investments by Indian companies in Ghana in sectors like construction, manufacturing, trading, services and tourism and in areas such as steel, cement, plastics, pharmaceuticals, ICT, agro-processing and agricultural machinery, electrical equipments, chemicals, etc. A number of Indian companies are establishing their presence in Ghana, both from the public as well as from the private sector. From the public sector, Bank of Baroda started operations in Accra in February 2008. The private sector is represented by such eminent companies as Tata, Ashok Leyland, Mahindra & Mahindra, Escorts, Larson & Toubro, Bharti Airtel, NIIT, M/s Shapoorji Pallonji & Co., as well as several pharmaceutical companies. So far, Indian companies have invested more than US$ 780 million in Ghana. In 2011, India topped the list of investors in terms of the number of projects with 60 projects registered during the period. India with 12 projects also topped the list of investors in the third quarter of 2012 in terms of number of projects registered during the period. India and Ghana have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for setting up of the Fertilizer plant in Ghana with an estimated cost of US$ 1.2 billion. Discussions are underway to finalize the joint venture project.

The CII in partnership with the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) held the 12th Regional Conclave on India-Africa Project Partnership on 3 June 2010 in Accra. The Conclave saw participation from several West African countries including Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Togo. A CEO’s Roundtable was held in Accra on 3 September, 2010. Minister of Commerce and Industry, Shri Anand Sharma led the Indian delegation, while Ghana’s Minister of Trade and Industry led the Ghanaian delegation. A 35-member Indian business delegation of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FICCI), led by Mr. Harpinder Singh Narula, visited Accra on 21 February, 2011 and participated in the “Business Meet” organized by the Mission in coordination with the Association of Ghanaian Industries (AGI).

Government of India offered ‘Project Arrow’ under India-Africa Forum Summit-II to support the postal infrastructure project in Ghana. The Government of Ghana has appreciated the initiative and confirmed its acceptance. On the invitation from the Department of Post, the Government of Ghana sent a 2-member postal delegation to India from 28 November to 2 December 2012 to facilitate in the scoping exercise for implementation of the project.

In pursuance to the 2nd meeting of India-Ghana Joint Trade Committee held in January, 2011, both the Governments agreed to sign an MoU between Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) to facilitate closer cooperation. The MoU, which is proposed to be signed shortly, will provide a mechanism by which both the governments can work together towards the common aim of strengthening standardization and conformity assessment activities and facilitate sharing of expertise and mutual trade.

Cultural relations:

To continue building on the close people-to-people links between the two countries and to commemorate the 140th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in October 2009, a festival of Indian films was held which was inaugurated by the Vice President of Ghana. A two-day Festival of Indian Feature Films for Children was organized by the High Commission at the Silverbird Cinema in Accra on 19-20 March 2010. Another festival of Indian films was organized from 28 January to 3 February, 2011 in Accra which received large popular support. A day-long festival of Indian films was organized by the High Commission in collaboration with the Keta Municipal Assembly at Keta in the Volta Region of Ghana on 26 March, 2011.

India was the “country of focus” in the 10th Ghana International Book Fair held at the Ghana Trade Fair Centre, Accra, on 1-6 November, 2011. Shri Sunil Gangopadhyay, President, Sahitya Akademi, led a 10-member official delegation, and over 30 Indian publishers and printers participated in the Fair.

The High Commission celebrated the 150th birth anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore with various programmes in Accra. The salient feature of the celebration was the “Cultural Evening” of music, dance, poetry recitation based on the works of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore organized by the High Commission with the participation of local Indian artists and Ghanaian artists which was attended by over 400 invited dignitaries, including political leaders, academicians, artists and diplomats. The function was highly appreciated by the audience and widely covered in the media.

An 8-member Ghanaian dance troupe of Noyam Dance Institute, Accra, sponsored by the Government of India, participated at the 2nd India Africa Forum Summit (IAFS-II), at Addis Ababa in May 2011. A Ghanaian craft artist also participated at the event.

A 10-member dance troupe ‘NTENTAN’ from Ghana participated in the Africa Festival organized by ICCR in New Delhi and Ahmedabad on 14-22 June 2012 at the invitation of the ICCR.

A 15-member Indian cultural troupe of the ‘Maitreyee Paharee Group’ visited Accra on 9-11 July, 2012 and performed at various venues in Accra. The group was in Accra as part of the ‘Indian Trade Show’ organized by the FICCI, with support of the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India.

Hindi Diwas was celebrated on 14 September 2012 by the High Commission, in association with the Delhi Public School, Tema (Ghana). As part of the celebrations, competitions on Hindi Essay Writing, Speech, and Story Telling, was organized.

Under the patronage of the High Commissioner, a cricket tournament was organized by the Ghana Cricket Association in Accra from 19 August to 9 September 2012. The winners and participants of the tournament were awarded prizes, sponsored by Indian companies in Ghana. Hon. Hanna Tetteh, Minister of Trade & Industry of Ghana, was the Chief Guest on the final day of the tournament.

Indian community:

There is a substantial Indian community in Ghana numbering about 7000- 8000. Some of them have been in Ghana for over 70 years. The business activities of Indians in Ghana have contributed in a major way to India being the second highest investor in Ghana in terms of number of projects.

January, 2013