Ghana and India have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the establishment of a Permanent Joint Commission for Cooperation to facilitate and strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries.
The signing ceremony took place in Accra during the historic visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the invitation of Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama.
Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Ghana is historic because it is the first by an Indian leader in 30 years.
Speaking at a joint press conference at the Presidency in Accra, President Mahama said the visit was a testament to the deep-rooted historical ties between Ghana and India, founded on the visionary leadership of Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, and India’s Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
It was also due to the ever-growing strong bonds of friendship and cooperation, which exist between the two sisterly countries for the mutual benefit of their people.
He said the visit was a significant honour considering the fact that it was the first leg in the Africa visit of Prime Minister Modi on his five-nation tour which ends in the BRIC summits in Brazil.
President Mahama said the two sides had engaged in significant discussions to deepen cooperation across various sectors of the economy, including agriculture, energy, manufacturing, infrastructural development, human resources, and health.
He said the strength of the successful engagements was the MoUs signed between Ghana and India to give impetus to their commitment and aspirations for sustained and enhanced cooperation.
These include the MoUs on the Establishment of a Permanent Joint Commission, the MoU between the Institute of Traditional and Alternative Medicine of the University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana, and the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda, Ministry of Ayush, Government of India.
There were also MoUs on cultural exchange between the two countries and between the Bureau of India Standards and the Ghana Standards Authority.
President Mahama said following consultations between Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Indian High Commissioner, they requested the signing of MoUs on vaccine manufacture and
production, MoU on supply of agricultural machinery and implements, and an MoU on defence cooperation.
This visit, President Mahama, said the visit was at a time the Government had committed to pursuing its Reset Agenda to provide the needed support to the Ghanaian people.
He said the Government would leverage its relationship with like-minded countries such as India to achieve its set objectives.
He said both countries would work to deepen economic and investment relations at a time that Ghana was undergoing economic restructuring due to the debt treatments they were undergoing and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Programme.
President Mahama said going forward, Ghana and India intended to pursue these engagements through diplomatic mechanisms including foreign office consultations with each other as well as the Permanent Joint Commission for Cooperation to give effect to the intended outcomes of their engagements for mutual benefit.
Later at a State Dinner in honour of Prime Minister Modi, President Mahama decorated him with the prestigious National Award of the Office of the Order of the Star of Ghana.
The honour was in recognition of Prime Minister Modi’s distinguished statesmanship and outstanding global leadership.
President Mahama described the Prime Minister as a global statesman of transformational leadership.
Prime Minister Modi expressed gratitude to President Mahama and the Government and the People of Ghana for the honour.
He said, he and President Mahama had talks that were extremely fruitful.
He noted that the elevation of the ties between the two nations to a Comprehensive Partnership would be beneficial for the people of the two nations.
Source: GNA
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