&w=3840&q=100)
India not just partner but co-traveller in Ghana's growth journey: PM Modi
Press Trust of India Accra
India and Ghana on Wednesday elevated their ties to the level of comprehensive partnership, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirming that New Delhi is a co-traveller in the African nation's development journey.
Modi made the remarks after holding wide-ranging talks with Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama.
In his media statement, Prime Minister Modi said both sides have set a target of doubling the two-way trade in the next five years and that India is not just a partner but a co-traveller in Ghana's development journey.
The delegation-level meeting between the two leaders took place hours after Modi arrived in this capital city of the West African country on the first leg of his five-nation tour.
In a special gesture, the prime minister was received at the airport by President Mahama. It is the first prime ministerial visit from India to Ghana in three decades.
Following the Modi-Mahama talks, the two sides inked four pacts that will provide for cooperation in several areas including culture and traditional medicine.
"Today, the president and I have decided to elevate our bilateral partnership to a Comprehensive Partnership," Modi said, adding, "India is not just a partner but a co-traveller in Ghana's journey of nation-building." The prime minister also highlighted the upswing in trade relations between the two countries.
"Indian companies have invested nearly two billion dollars in about 900 projects. Today, we have set a target to double our mutual trade in the next five years," he said.
"In the field of FinTech, India is ready to share its experience of UPI digital payments with Ghana," he noted.
The prime minister also said that Indian companies will cooperate in the exploration and mining of critical minerals.
The prime minister said both sides were unanimous that terrorism is the enemy of humanity and that it was decided to further strengthen mutual cooperation in countering the menace.
"We are unanimous that terrorism is the enemy of humanity. We thank Ghana for its cooperation in our fight against terrorism," Modi said.
"In this context, we have decided to further strengthen mutual cooperation in counter-terrorism," he said.
In the field of defence and security, we will move forward with the mantra of "security through solidarity", he added.
India-Ghana cooperation will be enhanced in areas such as training of armed forces, maritime security, defence supply and cyber security, he added.
The prime minister said both sides expressed serious concerns over the conflicts in West Asia and Europe and called for finding solutions to the problems through dialogue and diplomacy.
"This is not the era of war; problems should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy," Modi said.
The two leaders also touched upon issues facing the Global South.
"We are both members of the Global South, and are fully committed to its priorities. We thank Ghana for its positive participation in the Voice of Global South Summit," Modi said.
"It is a matter of pride for India that the African Union got permanent membership of the G20 under our G20 presidency," he added.
Calling the talks with President Mahama "extremely fruitful", Modi in an X post said, "We have elevated our ties to a Comprehensive Partnership, which will be beneficial for the people of our nations. We discussed ways to improve trade and economic linkages. Cooperation in FinTech, skill development, healthcare and other such sectors were also deliberated upon." India and Ghana also see immense scope in working closely in areas such as critical minerals, defence, maritime security and energy, he said, adding that enhancing cultural linkages was also discussed.
In a post on X, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "Both leaders reaffirmed the warm and time-tested ties between India & Ghana, and discussed ways to expand cooperation in key areas..." "The leaders agreed to elevate the bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Partnership. They reiterated their commitment to democratic values, Global South solidarity, South-South cooperation, and a shared vision for sustainable development & global peace," he added.
The bilateral relations between India and Ghana, one of the fastest-growing economies in West Africa, are marked by a robust trade and investment partnership.
India is among the top trading partners of Ghana and is the largest destination for Ghanaian exports, driven largely by India's import of gold.
Ghana is undergoing a major economic restructuring and Prime Minister Modi assured the country of all possible assistance in this regard.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
33 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
BRICS Summit: Focus on India-Brazil strategic partnership for a multipolar world
With the arrival of Prime Minister Modi in Rio de Janeiro to take part in the 2025 BRICS Summit & Brasilia for a bilateral State visit, a first by an Indian PM in nearly six decades, the gaze is now on the India-Brazil Strategic Partnership. Far too long viewed essentially as South-South solidarity or symbolic multilateralism, this axis of rising power has in recent years achieved bolder geopolitical recognition. While India enhances its international footprint and Brazil restores its regional leadership, the convergences between the two democracies are no longer rhetorical; they increasingly become strategic driven by the shared vision of an equitable multipolar world order. In the midst of an expanded BRICS and rising challenges to the international system, Brazil has proved an invaluable interlocutor of India in the BRICS and the UN and in voicing the hopes and ambitions of the Global South. Brazil today matters to India not only as the largest economy of Latin America but also as a like-minded democratic country with whom India wishes to 'co-write' the rules of international governance. This convergence has been reflected also in the growing frequency and intensity of high-level interaction between the two countries. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Prime Minister Modi have also been spotted several times since Lula's 2023 re-election as the two leaders have committed to upgrading the Strategic Partnership to the next level. But the current era of geopolitics gives special meaning to their convergence. The Rio BRICS Summit, its first since the grouping expanded in 2024, occurs against the backdrop of a fracturing international order where the return of multilateralism is increasingly questioned. Western institutions increasingly appear self-absorbed and the global South is speaking out more vocally than before. In this fluid world, India and Brazil offer the world a development-focused and democratic alternative. Their collaboration in BRICS seeks to turn the grouping into more than the symbol of rising power solidarity that it is today. India and Brazil aim to make it the forum for offering tangible deliverables for the Global South in the form of alternate sources of finance like the New Development Bank or new models of trade, digital connectivity, and climate finance. Indeed, the current Brazilian presidency of BRICS this year and the upcoming Indian chairmanship in 2026 is a rare diplomatic relay. Under Lula's administration, Brazil has emphasized a more politically integrated BRICS, one advocating for democratic values and challenging the imbalances of the current world order. Modi has echoed this priority, arguing that BRICS must induce international institutional change. The two leaders ratify the idea that the Global South should no longer only be the target of international decision, but the co-author of international rules. This convergence is not limited to BRICS. The two countries are equally committed to restructuring the UN Security Council and are the most vocal members of the G4 grouping (India, Brazil, Germany, Japan) pushing for permanent representation for emergent powers. Both find the present configuration of the UNSC as archaic and unrepresentative. In their latest bilateral, Modi and Lula renewed their backing for each other's candidacies and called for time-bound negotiations in the UN. Brazil has used its presidency of the G20 in 2024 to showcase global governance reform and India has been forthright in its support of this agenda. Together, they have been able to give new impulse to what has thus been an extremely stalled process of reform. Another area of great geopolitical convergence is in their approach towards the Global South. India and Brazil have been voices of Southern solidarity, with one difference: they offer pragmatic implementable solutions. India's 2023 and Brazil's 2024 G20 presidencies were built around development agendas, of inclusive finance and food security to digital public goods and climate justice. Lula openly acknowledged the reality of the fact several of Brazil's G20 agendas borrowed from India's G20 Presidency. Modi himself has praised Brazil for continuing the momentum and ensuring continuity in the upholding of voices of the developed world. As the baton comes up to South Africa to preside over the G20 presidency next year, the IBSA trio (India-Brazil-South Africa) would have achieved the rare distinction of back-to-back leadership of the world's most powerful economic forum and offer a unique moment of Southern convergence. The bilateral is also expanding with new content. Commerce between India and Brazil has exceeded $12 billion, and complementarities in energy, agro-products, and pharma are driving the push. Indian companies like UPL, Wipro, and Tata Motors have increasingly expanded operations in Brazil, and Brazilian enterprises in mining and airlines are considering Indian marketplaces. Modi's visit is expected to deliver new deals in green energy, food processing, and defence cooperation. These steps are the bigger picture: India no longer regards Latin America as the faraway theatre of power politics and Brazil increasingly regards India as the gateway to the Indo-Pacific and the hub of the economic rise of Asia. In the coming years, India and Brazil could really transcend being co-passengers of the multilateral system and turn out to be co-designers of a new equilibrium of power internationally. As bridge-builders between the Global South and the North, between the world of the democracies and the world of the developing nations, between development and growth, their bilateral ties are now a global good. For India, Brazil is as big of a partner of BRICS as it is a center-piece of a larger diplomatic offensive aimed at democratizing international institutions and transferring normative power. When PM Modi and President Lula get together side by side at the Rio Summit, the conversation must be bold: the India-Brazil relationship is no longer peripheral but at the very core of the way the two countries see the future of world order. The strength of the relationship will be less in terms of common desire and more in terms of collaborative action, from G4 to BRICS, from the UN to the G20. In a world as desperately in need of new coalitions for reform as for peace and inclusive growth, the coming together of Delhi and Brasilia gives the world a strong, democratic, and developmental vision of the multipolar world to come. (Manish Dabhade is an Associate Professor of Diplomacy in the School of International Studies, JNU& founded The Indian Futures, an independent think tank in New Delhi; X: @imanishdabhade)
The Print
39 minutes ago
- The Print
Nirav Modi's brother Nehal held in US on CBI, ED extradition requests; Justice Dept to oppose bail
Nehal, a Belgian national, has been named as an accused in charge sheets filed by both CBI and ED in the bank loan fraud, amounting to an excess of Rs 13,000 crore, which was borrowed fraudulently from the Punjab National Bank. His elder brother Nirav Modi and uncle Mehul Choksi have been named as the prime accused in the case. The Indian agencies have been informed by their American counterparts about the arrest, as well as given assurances from the US Justice Department that his bail plea will be opposed during the next date of hearing in the extradition proceedings. The next hearing is scheduled for 7 July, sources privy to the developments told ThePrint. New Delhi: Authorities in the United States Friday arrested Nehal Modi, brother and alleged co-conspirator of fugitive diamond businessman Nirav Modi, on the request for extradition submitted by India's agencies, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which have been probing the 2018 PNB loan fraud case. Notably, Nirav Modi has been in custody in the United Kingdom since March 2019, on account of pending extradition proceedings, while Mehul Choksi was detained by authorities in Belgium, where his extradition is also pending. Indian agencies managed to obtain a Red Corner Notice against Nehal in July 2019, based on which Interpol requested all its 192 member states to arrest or detain him upon spotting him in their countries, after which extradition or deportation proceedings could begin. In its charge sheet, the CBI has alleged that Nehal Modi attended a meeting with senior managers of the Punjab National Bank on 26 January, 2018, days before the CBI booked Nirav Modi, his family, Choksi, and retired deputy manager of the bank Gokulnath Shetty. Additionally, the agency found in the probe, through statements from individuals associated with Modis' firms, that after the registration of the CBI's case, Nehal Modi took overall control of the various companies' affairs. In the probe, agencies also allegedly found that Nehal Modi directed and facilitated the movement of funds and dummy directors of the firms of Nirav Modi from Dubai to Cairo, in an attempt to avoid arrest or criminal proceedings. He also allegedly instructed those directors to make false statements in the event of arrest by agencies, including claiming that they did not work for Nirav Modi. The ED also highlighted that Nehal allegedly took around 50 kg of gold and AED 3.5 million from a Dubai-based firm, Firestar Diamond FZE, as well as 150 boxes of pearls worth USD 6 million from Hong Kong, following investigations in India. Additionally, the agency alleged he was personally overseeing attempts to erase accounts and records that established the money trail of firms established by his brother, Nirav Modi, and his associates. 'He intimidated witnesses and sent them to Cairo, where their passports were taken over, and they were forced to sign some false papers. He offered a witness Rs 20 lakh for tendering false testimony before the judicial authorities of Europe,' the agency has alleged. (Edited by Viny Mishra) Also read: Rs 22,280 cr black & laundered money recovered, including from Mallya & Nirav Modi, says Sitharaman
The Print
39 minutes ago
- The Print
Arrested terror suspect a ‘big fish' bomb maker, influenced by Zakir Naik: Andhra Police
'This fellow (Siddique) whom we caught is too big a fish than what we had thought…This fellow is too big a fellow, who had travelled all across the length and breadth of this country. Who frequently travelled to the Gulf also, Abubacker Siddique,' Praveen told PTI. Kurnool Range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Koya Praveen said Abubacker Siddique operated as a lone wolf, providing his terror expertise to those who shared his radical ideology and was influenced by radical fugitive preacher Zakir Naik. Rayachoti (Andhra Pradesh), Jul 5 (PTI) The Andhra Pradesh police on Saturday identified one of the two terror suspects arrested here recently by Tamil Nadu police as a 'big fish', with advanced bomb making skills. Recently, Tamil Nadu's Anti-Terrorism Squad arrested Siddique and his accomplice Mohammed Ali in Rayachoti in Annamayya district. 'Zakir Naik school of thought. He is more of a lone wolf. Ideologically motivated and an expert in making IEDs and electronic devices, timer explosive devices,' said Praveen. According to police, Siddique is an expert maker of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), timer explosive devices and other highly lethal materials. Police conducted a fresh round of searches today at the duo's premises, but did not find any explosives. They managed to confiscate some documents and pen drives. Earlier, police recovered daggers, sickles, digital timers, clock switches, speed controllers, ball bearings, nuts and bolts, binoculars, walkie-talkies, mobile phones, and hacking software. They also seized maps of major Indian cities, coding manuals, ISIS-inspired literature, property documents, digital storage devices, cheque books, and financial records linked to suspicious transactions. On July 3, police disposed of a parcel bomb seized from them. After settling in Rayachoti, the DIG noted that Siddique, who is in his mid-50s, had carried out the bomb blast at BJP's Malleshwaram office in Bengaluru. Siddique was allegedly involved in the 2011 pipe-bomb planting attempt during BJP veteran and former Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani's rath yatra in Tamil Nadu's Madurai, among other terror activities. PTI STH ROH This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
