
India's Modi visits Ghana en route to BRICS summit
He is scheduled to hold bilateral trade and cooperation talks with Ghana's President John Mahama, who has been in power since January.
Modi is also due to address the Ghanaian parliament in the capital, Accra, and meet members of the Indian community in the largest gold-producing country in Africa.
Accra is the first stop in a tour that will take the Indian premier to Caribbean and South American countries.
The world's most populous country has close ties with Russia but rivals China -- the two powers vying for more influence in Africa.
Last month, the Indian leader attended the G7 summit in Canada, demonstrating his determination to carry the voice of the "Global South", acting as a "bridge" between various players on the international scene, his foreign minister told AFP.
Modi will remain in Accra until midday on Thursday, before flying to Trinidad and Tobago, then on to Argentina and Brazil.
He will attend a summit of the BRICS group of emerging economies in Rio de Janeiro on July 6 and 7.
Before returning to India, he will also stop in Namibia, a southern Africa country which in March elected its first woman president, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah.
India is one of Ghana's main trading partners and is the leading destination for Ghanaian exports, primarily due to Indian gold imports.
According to the Indian foreign ministry, bilateral trade between the two countries reached $3.1 billion in 2024–2025.
Ghana's main exports to India include gold, cocoa, cashew nuts and timber, while India exports pharmaceuticals, agricultural machinery, transport vehicles, electrical equipment, plastics, iron and steel and alcoholic beverages.
The last time an Indian prime minister visited Ghana was in 1995.
India says there are around 15,000 Indians living in Ghana, some of whom have been in the country since its independence nearly 70 years ago.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

IOL News
2 hours ago
- IOL News
Construction begins on the 1860 Indentured Workers Monument in Durban
Construction work on the 1860 Indentured Workers Monument has begun along the Durban Beachfront. Image: Selvan Naidoo / 1860 Heritage Centre Construction work on the 1860 Indentured Workers Monument, situated along Durban's uShaka Beach promenade, has begun. Culturalists and stakeholders regard the monument as a step towards honouring the legacy of Indian indentured labourers, who arrived in Durban from 1860. The monument is expected to encapsulate their sacrifices and contributions. On Friday, Selvan Naidoo, director of 1860 Heritage Centre in Durban, said: 'We are proud to see that construction is under way, with the monument expected to be completed ahead of the 165th commemoration of the arrival of the first indentured workers on November 16, 2025.' According to IOL reports, the contractor and artist Brendon Edwards explained that the monument is 8m high and will have the names of 684 Indian indentured labourers and 29 individuals who perished on the ship Belvedere. Edwards explained that the sugarcane archer will consist of 684 strands representing the DNA of those who made the trip. This will then flow into the additional bronze that has now been added, representing the family of the indentured. The monument will also include a pond to symbolise the ocean, water, and the journey the labourers made. Embracing the design is the Zulu nation's kraal, welcoming the indentured. At a recent sod turning ceremony, KZN Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli said the R5 million project is set to be completed in November 2025, and that he had requested regular updates on the construction because he wanted to see it finalised. Prince Ishwar Ramlutchman Mabheka Zulu, the president of Sivananda World Peace Foundation and Africa coordinator for Gopio International, a global organisation for people of Indian origin, applauded Premier Ntuli for his keen interest in the monument. Ramlutchman said that the Girmitiya/SA Indian Community will finally have a monument. 'This monument was unanimously approved at a mass gathering of Indian leaders. A life-size Indian/Girmitiya family with an Arch will be installed. The committee that unanimously agreed on this design will gather soon at the site to look at the progress of the historic monument. No individual or organisation will have the right to claim ownership of this monument, as this will be registered under the National Heritage department,' Ramlutchman said. Omie Singh, president of the KZN International Business Association, said this was exciting news. He described the monument as a tribute to the contribution Indian indentured labourers made to the economy of Durban, KZN, and South Africa over the past 160 years. 'This is a success story in itself that will pay homage to the work done in various facets to bring this project to completion,' he said. [email protected] An artist's impression of the 1860 Indentured Workers Monument that is expected to be built along the Durban Beachfront near uShaka Beach. Image: File

The Herald
3 hours ago
- The Herald
Brics to launch guarantee fund to boost investment in member nations, sources say
The Brics group of developing nations is set to announce a new guarantee fund backed by the New Development Bank (NDB) to lower financing costs and boost investment, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The initiative, modeled on the World Bank's Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, aims to address global investment shifts amid uncertainty surrounding US economic policy, the sources said on condition of anonymity. Brazilian officials view the fund as the centerpiece of the Brics financial agenda during the country's rotating presidency. The fund is expected to be mentioned in the joint statement at the Brics summit in Rio de Janeiro next week, said the sources. Originally formed by Brazil, Russia, India and China, the Brics group later added South Africa and recently expanded to include other developing nations to increase its influence in global governance. The proposed Brics multilateral guarantee mechanism, incubated within the NDB, has received technical approval from member states and awaits final signoff from Brics finance ministers, considered a formality, one source said. Brazil's finance ministry declined to comment on the matter.

IOL News
4 hours ago
- IOL News
'DRC, Rwanda Peace Deal Entrenches Economic Colonialism'
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C) hosts a peace agreement signing with Democratic Republic of the Congo Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner (R) and Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe (L) at the State Department in Washington, DC, on June 27, 2025. Image: AFP Kim Heller The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a nation scarred by decades of bloodstained battles, is in desperate need of peace. A permanent ceasefire that heralds in lasting peace is the only passport to sustainable recovery, repair and development in the besieged nation. Conflict-related deaths and displacement are epidemic. The recent escalation of conflict saw the M23 rebel group gain control over major cities and airports. Previous peace talks and ceasefires have failed to quell the violence. The newly brokered US-Qatar peace accord for the DRC is being hailed as a turning point. Signed by the foreign ministers of the DRC and Rwanda in Washington on June 27, 2025, the deal has sparked a measure of optimism. However, while there have been celebrations at the White House, attacks have continued on the ground in the DRC. On the very same day that the deal was struck, the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo (CODECO), a militia group, attacked a displacement camp in the Ituri Province, killing three women and eight children. The current President of the DRC, Felix Tshisekedi, has described the deal as a promise of peace for the people of eastern DRC. However, for former President Joseph Kabila, the peace deal is 'nothing more than a trade agreement'. The DRC appears to be trading its mineral riches and rights in exchange for US military support in a deal that resembles a new age neocolonial plunder scheme. What is being touted as a rescue plan for the Congo could well turn out to be little more than a schematic for daylight robbery, not only of the nation's treasure chest of mineral resources but of its priceless sovereignty. Those hoping that the Washington agreement is a magical potion for lasting peace in the DRC may find that it is little more than a prescription of US opportunism. The expedient and transactional character of Donald Trump is infamous. The United States' participation in promoting a peace deal between the DRC and Rwanda is undoubtedly part of his frenzied crusade for a Nobel Peace Prize. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Trump has already stated that he deserves recognition for his hand in forging a truce between the DRC and Rwanda. The US's ambition to secure its access to Congo's precious cobalt and coltan is no state secret. The geopolitical spinoffs of the deal will boost the US's position on the Continent and help to edge out China's growing influence and market potential. It is a jackpot for Trump. The agreement calls for disengagement, disarmament and conditional amalgamation of armed groups. Details on implementation and enforcement are sketchy. Proposals on joint security efforts and regional economic integration are not novel ideas. These have been recommended in previous peace bids and not accomplished. Kabila believes the Congolese people deserve more than propaganda and a diplomatic "show". Congratulatory handshakes in the US cannot block out red flags about the lack of active participation of the AU, the exclusion of M23 and other militia groups and the lack of dialogue with ordinary citizens, who are most impacted by the ongoing warfare. This belittles African agency. Long-standing, deep, and festering tensions, ever-inflamed regional security issues, and broken economies cannot be resolved on foreign soil. A peace deal manufactured in Washington sets a dangerous precedent for Africa. It emboldens a new era of foreign imperialism and downgrades sovereignty and self-determination. Often, international interference is cleverly packaged as international mediation. The winner is rarely Africa. This new peace deal will enable the US to secure valuable minerals and mining rights, thereby advancing its geopolitical standing on the Continent. For Qatar, this mediation is part of its long-game strategy of soft power diplomacy. Trump has microwaved a winning solution for his administration. He has recast the US as a force in the East African region. While the DRC and Rwanda economies may benefit from inflows of investment and new mineral trade value chains and routes, the primary beneficiary will be the US and US mining companies. Territorially, the peace deal could see Rwanda holding onto its control and influence over some of the eastern DRC, through its purported association with M23.