Modi in Ghana: UPI Rollout, Four MoUs Signed & Defence-Minerals Ties Forged
Ghanaian President John Mahama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi met bilaterally on Wednesday, with the two leaders enhancing their relationship to that of a Comprehensive Partnership. The great possibility of working together in vital fields like critical minerals, defense, maritime security, and energy was underscored by PM Modi.
In a conversation with X, PM Modi stated, “India and Ghana recognize significant opportunities for collaboration in fields like critical minerals, defense, maritime security, and energy. It was also discussed to strengthen cultural connections.
India-Ghana signed four MoUs
On Wednesday, India and Ghana inked four Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) aimed at bolstering bilateral collaboration in vital sectors including culture, health, standardization, and institutional dialogue.
The agreements were signed following delegation-level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ghanaian President John Mahama in Accra.
In a press briefing following the meeting, Secretary (Economic Relations) Dammu Ravi stated that the MoUs encompassed cultural exchange, traditional medicine, standards collaboration, and the creation of a Joint Commission.
Following the discussions at the delegation level, four Memoranda of Understanding were signed, including one to set up a meeting of the Joint Commission at the level crashed level. Secondly, there is traditional medicine, which allows for an exchange of expert training between both sides
The third is the cultural exchange program, which is hoped to promote cultural exchanges and tourism. „Der vierte betrifft den Bereich der Normsetzung“, sagte er.
Among the four Memoranda of Understanding signed between India and Ghana is a Cultural Exchange Programme (CEP), designed to foster enhanced cultural understanding and exchanges in art, music, dance, literature, and heritage.
The second MoU, which was signed between the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), aims to strengthen collaboration in standardisation, certification, and conformity assessment.
The third agreement was executed between the Institute of Traditional and Alternative Medicine (ITAM) in Ghana and the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA) in India, aiming to promote collaboration in traditional medicine education, training, and research.
The fourth MoU pertains to the Joint Commission Meeting, with the goal of institutionalising high-level dialogue and guaranteeing regular evaluations of bilateral cooperation mechanisms.
UPI, Defence, agriculture, tech in focus
The prime minister also underscored the improvement in trade relations between the two nations.
“Around 900 projects have received investments from Indian companies totaling almost two billion dollars. He stated, “We have established a goal to increase our bilateral trade twofold over the next five years.”He pointed out that in the FinTech sector, India is prepared to share its experience with UPI digital payments with Ghana.
Furthermore, the prime minister stated that Indian firms will work together in the exploration and extraction of essential minerals.The prime minister stated that both sides agreed without dissent that terrorism is a foe of humanity and that they resolved to bolster their collaboration in combating this threat.
We all agree that terrorism is humanity’s foe. Modi expressed gratitude to Ghana for its collaboration in combating terrorism.
“In this context, we have made the decision to enhance our mutual collaboration in counter-terrorism,” he stated.
He added that in the area of defense and security, we will advance with the guiding principle of “security through solidarity.”
He added that cooperation between India and Ghana would be strengthened in fields including armed forces training, maritime security, defence supply, and cyber security.
The Prime Minister stated that both parties conveyed grave worries regarding the conflicts in West Asia and Europe, urging that solutions be sought through dialogue and diplomacy.
Dammu Ravi, the secretary, also verified that Prime Minister Modi had consented to assist Ghana in agricultural matters.
“Ghanaian President Mahama stated in the talks that he was looking for India’s collaboration in agriculture… The entrepreneurs should develop Ghana into a food basket and ensure food security for its people. He stated, “PM Modi had consented to assist Ghana in this effort.”
The two leaders also talked about improving collaboration in the pharmaceutical sector, particularly regarding the enhancement of vaccine production capacity in Ghana.
The second item pertained to pharmaceuticals and vaccines. President Mahama aims to establish Ghana as a vaccine hub. Collaboration with the Global Vaccine Alliance has already led to some development. Ravi added that he wants Indian entrepreneurs to establish manufacturing units in the pharmaceutical and vaccine sectors, where India has enhanced its capacity.
In over thirty years, this is the first time an Indian Prime Minister has visited Ghana. The visit is anticipated to greatly enhance the partnership between India and Ghana, while also indicating India’s ongoing involvement with Africa and the Global South.