India-Ghana Sign Four MoUs: History Of Bilateral Relations

India and Ghana signed four Memorandum of Understandings (MoU) pertaining to key areas such as culture, health, standardisation, and institutional dialogue. The agreements were signed after delegation-level talks were held between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ghanaian President John Mahama in Accra. 

Addressing a press briefing after the meeting, Secretary (Economic Relations) Dammu Ravi said that "After the delegation-level talks, there was the signing of four Memoranda of Understanding, one to establish the Joint Commission meeting at the Foreign Office level. Second is traditional medicine, where there is scope for both sides to exchange expert training. The third is the cultural exchange programme, where there's hope that this will encourage cultural exchanges and tourism. The fourth one is in the area of standard setting.”

History of Indian-Ghana Relations 

Relations between both nations can be traced back to 1953 when India opened its first representative office in Accra. India established full-fledged diplomatic relations with Ghana in 1957, immediately after it gained independence. 

The first president of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah and India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru shared a close friendship. Their similar ideologies, particularly in the international arena, led to both nations becoming the founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement, a group of states that are not formally aligned with or against any significant power bloc, and have historically stood together on issues of decolonisation and international solidarity. 

Several heads of state of both nations have travelled to and fro both nations underscoring the importance of the ties. Presidents Nkrumah, Hilla Liman, John Rawlings and John Kufuor have made state visits to India 

The India-Ghana Joint Commission was established during prime minister P V Narsimha Rao’s visit to Ghana in 1995. The MoU was signed for Economic, Technical & Cultural Cooperation between both nations. In addition, the Protocol on Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) between the MEA and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ghana was signed in 2002. 

Economic Relations 

Economic ties between both nations have soared in recent times with Indian pharmaceutical exports forming a major part of the country’s medical system. India also serves as one of the major investors in Ghana with more than $1.2 billion channelled into sectors such as agro-processing, mining, manufacturing, construction, and ICT. India also exports electrical goods, machinery, and automobiles to the West African country. 

Ghanaian exports to India comprise gold, cocoa and timber, with bilateral trade between both nations amounting to around USD 3 billion in 2023-24. 

India is among the top trading partners of Ghana and is the largest destination for Ghanaian exports. 

India has also been supporting Ghana’s development by providing assistance in developmental projects through concessional lines of credit (LoC) and grants. Till date, India has extended about USD 450 million of concessional credit and grants to Ghana for various projects.