India, Ghana plan to boost ties in defence cooperation, food security, vaccine

Hindustan Times

03-07-2025

India and Ghana are set to bolster their cooperation in defence, food security, and pharmaceuticals as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama elevated bilateral ties to a comprehensive partnership. This is the first visit to the West African nation by an Indian premier in three decades. (Narendra Modi)
Modi arrived in the Ghanaian capital of Accra on Wednesday as part of a five-nation tour and was received at the airport personally by Mahama and given a ceremonial welcome. This is the first visit to the West African nation by an Indian premier in three decades and Modi's trip is part of India's outreach to the Global South.
'Today, the president and I decided to elevate our bilateral relationship into a comprehensive partnership,' Modi told a joint media interaction with Mahama after their talks on Wednesday.
'In Ghana's journey of nation building, India is not just a supporter, but a fellow traveller.'
Modi listed the Grand Jubilee House, Foreign Services Institute, Komenda Sugar Factory, India-Ghana Kofi Annan ICT Centre, and Tema Mpakadan Railway Line – all built with Indian support – as symbols of the bilateral partnership. With two-way trade crossing $3 billion and Indian companies investing $2 billion in 900 projects across Ghana, the two sides set a target of doubling trade over the next five years.
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The two leaders highlighted their plans to accelerate cooperation in key areas such as defence cooperation, food security and pharmaceuticals, especially vaccines. These initiatives dovetail with Mahama's 'Ghana Reset Agenda', launched six months ago.
'In agriculture, it will be our pleasure to lend support towards President Mahama's 'Feed Ghana' programme,' Modi said, speaking in Hindi. 'We've discussed cooperation in vaccine production.
'In defence and security, we will move forward with the mantra of 'security through stability'. Cooperation will be extended in training of armed forces, maritime security, defence supplies and cyber security,' he said.
Mahama said Ghana is keen to sign formal agreements with India on defence cooperation, vaccine production and supply of agricultural machinery. 'Both countries will work to deepen economic and investment relations at a time that Ghana is undergoing economic restructuring due to the debt treatments we're undergoing in the IMF programme,' he said.
Modi offered to share India's expertise with the Unified Payment Interface (UPI) digital payments system with Ghana and to provide affordable healthcare through Jan Aushadhi Kendras. 'Indian companies shall cooperate in the exploration and mining of critical minerals,' he said.
The two leaders also discussed counter-terrorism and Modi said the two countries will strengthen their cooperation in these efforts. 'We express our sincere gratitude to Ghana for its cooperation in our fight against terrorism,' he said.
'Our perspectives on UN reforms are closely aligned. We both have expressed deep concern at ongoing conflicts in West Asia and Europe. We firmly believe that this is not an era of war. Issues must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy,' he said.
The two countries signed four memorandums of understanding (MoUs), including one on creating a permanent Joint Commission to institutionalise high-level dialogue and review bilateral cooperation, and another on cultural exchanges.
Another MoU was signed by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) to enhance cooperation in certification and conformity assessment, while Ghana's Institute of Traditional and Alternative Medicine (ITAM) and India's Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA) finalised an MoU on traditional medicine education, training and research.
Dammu Ravi, secretary (economic relations) in the external affairs ministry, told a media briefing that Mahama sought India's support to develop Ghana as a 'food basket' and provide food security to the people, and to create a vaccine hub in the country to cater to West Africa.
'Some development has already taken place in collaboration with the Global Vaccine Alliance and, in that context, he wants Indian entrepreneurs to…set up manufacturing units in pharma and vaccines, where India clearly has advanced its capacities,' Ravi said.
Mahama also sought defence cooperation in the context of Ghana's concerns related to terrorism from the Sahel region and piracy in nearby seas. 'There is clear interest to have India's support in terms of support of the equipment, training of personnel and to be able to source equipment from India,' he said.
'There was also concern for the way terrorism is affecting the world. President Mahama clearly expressed solidarity with India. He condemned the Pahalgam terrorist attack, and he was very clear and unequivocal in his support for India and solidarity in the fight against terrorism,' Ravi said.
Ghana is one of the fastest growing economies in West Africa, and India is among the country's top trading partners. India is also the largest destination for Ghanaian exports, driven largely by imports of gold, which accounts for more than 70% of total imports from Ghana. In FY 2024-25, two-way trade reached $3.1 billion, with India's exports amounting to $1.34 billion.
India is one of the top investors in Ghana, ranking second in number of projects (11) and fifth in terms of FDI value ($ 16.08 million) during January-September 2024.
Ghana is home to an Indian community of more than 15,000. Some of them have been in the country for more than 70 years and most have acquired Ghanaian citizenship.