India – Ghana 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 to India 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 Alhaji Ali 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 DramaniMahama 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,Ms. AkuaSenaDansua visited India in October 2010 as head of the Ghanaian contingent to the XIX Commonwealth Games 2010 in Delhi.
Vice President KwesiBekoeAmissah-Arthur along with Minister of State for Private Sector Development Rashid Pelpuo visited India to attend the World Economic Forum Summit in New Delhi on 4-6 November 2014, jointly organized by World Economic Forum and CII. He also met Vice President Shri Mohammad Hami participated in an interactive session with the captains of Indian Industry.
There have been regular Ministerial visits from Ghana to India including that of Ms. Sherry Ayittey, Minister of Environment Science and Technology, in October, 2012; Mr. Clement Humado, Minister of Food and Agriculture, in March, 2013 and Mr. NayonBilijo, Minister of Fisheries & Aquaculture Development, accompanied by Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Finance and senior officials from the Presidency and the Ministries of Energy and Finance respectively who participated in the 10th EXIM Bank – CII Conclave on India-Africa Project Partnership in New Delhi in March 2014.The Minister of Trade & Industry Dr. EkwowSpio-Garbah led a 9-member delegation to the CII Partnership Summit, Jaipur (15-17 January 2015). On the margins of the Summit, he met with Smt. NirmalaSitharaman,Hon’bleMoS for Commerce & Industry (I/C). Major visits from India to Ghana include the visit of the 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.
There have been regular Ministerial and Official visits from the Indian side too. ShriAnand Sharma, the then Minister of State for External Affairs led a high level delegation to Ghana from 24-26 May 2006 for the CII-EXIM Bank Regional Conclave on India-Africa project Partnership and TEAM-9 Ministerial Meeting. He again visited Ghana in March 2007 to attend the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of Ghana’s Independence; in July 2008 as Special Envoy of Prime Minister; in November 2008 for the inauguration of the Flagstaff House(the Presidential Complex built on a Line of Credit from India) and in January 2009 as Special Envoy of Prime Minister to convey good wishes to the new Government headed by late President John Evans Atta Mills. ShriAnand Sharma visited Ghana as Minister of Commerce & Industry in September 2010 leading the delegation for the India-Ghana CEOs Round Table; and he led a high level official and business delegation to Ghana on the occasion of the hosting of the ‘India Show’ from 8-10 July 2012.Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs, ShriVayalar Ravi visited Ghana in February 2010 as part of his visit to African countries. MOS for External Affairs SmtPreneetKaur visited Ghana on 9-10 August 2012 to attend the funeral service of the late President Atta Mills.
A high-level GOI delegation, led by ShriSudhirMital, Secretary (Fertilizer), visited Ghana on 23-28 June 2013 for discussions on India-Ghana Joint Venture Fertilizer Project. A 2-member official delegation from Ministry of External Affairs comprising JS (Development Partnership Assistance) ShriManpreetVohra and ShriSanjeevKohli, JS (West Africa) visited Ghana from 1-4 June 2015. A 3-member EXIM Bank of India team also formed part of the visiting delegation.
Commercial relations:
Ghana was included as one of the nine West African countries under the GOI’s TEAM 9 initiative launched in 2004. 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 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. President John DramaniMahama performed the sod-cutting ceremony for construction of the US$ 7.48 million Fish Processing Plant at Elmina on 17 August 2013, to be set up with Government of India’s Line of Credit.
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. A high level fertilizer delegation, led by Mr. SudhirMital, Secretary (Fertilizer), visited Ghana on 23-28 June, 2013 for further discussions on the project.
A MoU on GOI’s financial and technical assistance of US$ 0.86 million approx. to the India-Ghana Kofi Annan Center for Excellence in IT was signed on 30 March 2011. India has offered to set up an India-Africa Institute of Information Technology (IAIIT), Food Processing Business Incubation Centre, Material Testing Laboratory and Project Arrow for the improvement of postal infrastructure in Ghana under the decisions of India Africa Forum Summits (IAFS- I & II). A delegation led by Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Food Processing Industries visited Ghana in September 2013 for discussions on setting up of the Food Processing Business Incubation Centre in collaboration with the Council for Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) of Ghana. The Government to government MoU was signed on 20th March 2015 in Accra. AnMoU was signed in January, 2013 between Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) to facilitate closer cooperation.
Ghana’s main (traditional) exports are gold, cocoa, nuts and timber products. Gold accounted for nearly 81% of the total imports by India from Ghana. India’s major exports to Ghana include pharmaceuticals, agricultural machinery, transport vehicles, electrical equipment, plastics, iron & steel, ethyl alcohol, beverages & spirits, cereals, made-up textiles etc
The exchange of business delegations in recent years has 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. It opened its second Branch in Tema in August 2012.
The private sector is represented by eminent companies viz. Tata, Ashok Leyland, Mahindra & Mahindra, Escorts, Larson & Toubro, BhartiAirtel, NIIT, M/s ShapoorjiPallonji& Co., as well as several pharmaceutical companies. Svani Motors, dealers of Mahindra & Mahindra in Ghana, recently announced plans for construction of a modern automobile plaza that would house the assembly plant and a service centre. Bajaj Auto Ltd. has partnered with Somoco Ghana (a subsidiary of Mohinani Group of Ghana) to market Boxer motorcycles in the Ghanaian market.
According to Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) Indian companies have invested in more than 600 projects with total investment of US$ 998 million between September 1994 and September 2014 making India the second largest foreign investor country in Ghana in terms of number of projects and ranked 9th in position according to value of FDI in Ghana. There were 57 projects registered under Indian FDI in 2013.
The CII in partnership with the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) held the 12 Regional Conclave on India-Africa Project Partnership in 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. 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). Ghanaian Deputy Minister for Health Dr. Victor AsareBampoe visited India at the invitation of the Apollo Hospitals from 6-9th February to participate in the Apollo Cancer Conclave, Hyderabad. During the visit, a MoU was signed between the Ministry of Health of Ghana and Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited to establish tertiary healthcare services in Ghana. An “India Trade Show” was organized at Ghana International Trade Fair in Accra on 9- 11 July, 2012 by 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 Association of Ghana Industries. ShriAnand Sharma, Minister for Commerce & Industry, 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.
The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), New Delhi conducted a week-long Executive Development Programme (EDP) in Accra, in collaboration with the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) from 30 September to 4 October 2013. The programme was attended by 65 participants including Government officials, senior executives from several businesses and trade chambers.
An India-Ghana Investment Partnership event was held on 24 March 2015 in Accra. The event brought together prominent local Indian businesses and the local Ghanaian businesses. It was organized by the High Commission with an aim to expand Indian Investment footprint in Ghana. Dr. EkwowSpio-Garbrah, the Minister for Trade & industry was the Chief Guest for the event and delivered the keynote address.
A multi-sectoral delegation of 36 Indian businessmen visited Ghana from 13-20 April 2015. The visit was organized by the High Commissioner of Ghana to India, who was also part of the delegation. The delegation met with the Vice President of Ghana, the Minister for Trade & Industry, other Ministers and top-ranking government officials. The delegation also toured Ghana to evaluate the investment and business opportunities available.
Bilateral Trade crossed US$ 1 billion mark for the first time in 2011-12. The trade figures for the last four years are-
(in US$ million)
| Year | India’s Exports to Ghana | India’s Imports to Ghana | Total Trade | Total Balance |
| 2011-12 | 800.35 | 403.67 | 1204.02 | 396.68 |
| 2012- 13 | 744.12 | 277.61 | 1021.73 | 466.51 |
| 2013- 14 | 831.48 | 370.56 | 1202.04 | 460.92 |
| 2014- 15 | 680.39 | 1257.6 | 1623.81 | -577.21 |
(Source: Department of Commerce, Government of India)
LoC
India has been participating in Ghana’s development by providing assistance in setting up projects through provision of Lines of Credit and grants. So far, Government of India has extended Lines of Credit amounting to US$ 230 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 completed projects are the India-Ghana Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence for ICT; the Flag Staff House; the Pan African E-Network Project, Rural Electrification Project and Procurement of Fire-tenders. Projects which are in the pipeline are in diverse sectors, inter alia, fisheries, waste management, railway equipment and agroprocessing. In August 2013, President Mahama performed the sod-cutting ceremony for construction of the US$ 21 million Fish Processing Plant at Elmina, to be set up with Government of India’s Line of Credit. On 19 August, 2014 President Mahama performed the sod-cutting ceremony for construction of the US$ 36.5 million (LOC of US$ 35 million) Komenda Sugar Factory in the Central Region of Ghana. On that occasion, he also announced GoI’s approval of another Line of Credit of US$ 24.5 million for sugarcane development and irrigation project.
ITEC
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). Under the ITEC programme, Ghana utilized 242 ITEC slots in the FY 2014-15 and 42 slots under various other schemes, including ICCR scholarships and capacity building courses offered by IIFT and IAFS Plan of Action.The number of ITEC slots to Ghana was increased from 200 in 2013-14 to 250 in FY 2014- 15. Same number of slots has been allotted in FY 2015-16. About 50 Ghanaian students are currently studying in India under ICCR’s Africa Scholarship Scheme. Six Ghanaian scientists were awarded CV Raman Research Fellowships during 2014.
Cultural relations:
The High Commission celebrated the 150th birth anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore with various programmes in Accra. 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 ‘MaitreyeePaharee Group’ visited Accra on 9-11 July, 2012 and performed at various venues in Accra.
From time to time, the Mission organizes festivals of Indian Feature Films (including Children Films) in leading theaters. The last such festival of Indian films was organized at the Silverbird Cinema in Accra on 25-31 January, 2013. The festival was well received by the local people and highly appreciated.
Hindi Diwas was celebrated on 14 September 2013 by the High Commission, in collaboration with the Delhi Public School International, Tema (Ghana). As part of the celebrations, competitions on Hindi Essay Writing, Speech, and Story Telling, were organized. Similar participation was repeated in 2014. The first International Day of Yoga was celebrated with wide publicity on 21st June 2015.
Indian community:
There is a substantial Indian community in Ghana numbering about 10,000. 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.
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India – Ghana Relations
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