The Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Ghana, Andrei Ordash, has reaffirmed Moscow’s commitment to building an “equal partnership” with Ghana, underscoring Russia’s intention to deepen political, economic and humanitarian cooperation as it advances its renewed engagement with Africa.
In an exclusive interview with Diplomatic Times, Ambassador Ordash noted that Russia attaches strategic importance to its relations with African countries, pointing out that his priorities in Ghana would be guided by the outcomes of the Russia–Africa Summits held in Sochi in 2019 and St. Petersburg in 2023, which laid the foundation for expanding cooperation across trade, investment, education, science, technology and security.
He stressed that Russia’s approach to Africa is anchored on respect for sovereignty and mutually beneficial partnerships, arguing that Moscow seeks cooperation based on equality rather than dependency.
The Ambassador cited Russia’s support for the recent United Nations General Assembly resolution recognising the transatlantic slave trade and slavery as crimes against humanity as evidence of its longstanding solidarity with African countries.
“Russia was among the European countries that voted in favour of the resolution while most European Union member states abstained and the United States voted against. This demonstrates the importance Russia attaches to its cooperation with African countries. We see you as our equal partners, and together we can build a more just world,” he said.
Ambassador Ordash noted that political cooperation has remained a defining feature of Ghana-Russia relations since Ghana’s early years of independence, when the former Soviet Union partnered with the administration of President Kwame Nkrumah on industrial development, technical assistance, education and infrastructure projects.
Looking ahead, he identified expanding trade and investment as one of the Embassy’s foremost priorities, arguing that economic relations have yet to reflect the full potential of both countries.
“Our next priority is to develop our trade and economic links. I believe we have enormous economic potential, but it remains underestimated. We want to come to Ghana as equal partners,” he stated.
He revealed that Russia’s economic engagement will increasingly focus on supporting industrialisation and value addition rather than the extraction of raw materials which aligns with Ghana’s ambitions to process more of its mineral and agricultural resources locally.
“We are not willing to simply extract resources from African countries. We want to build equal partnerships. We want to help you develop your own technologies and localise production on your soil,” he said.
He added that Ghana’s strategic position as host of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat presents an important gateway for Russian businesses seeking to access the wider African market, making the country an attractive destination for long-term investment.
Beyond economic cooperation, Ambassador Ordash identified education, culture and scientific collaboration as another pillar of bilateral relations. Russia has expanded government-funded scholarships for Ghanaian students, increasing the annual quota to 120 scholarships, while interest in Russian language studies continues to grow at the University of Ghana and the University of Media, Arts and Communication (UniMAC).
He also highlighted growing cooperation in media and academic exchange, including a Memorandum of Understanding between Sputnik and UniMAC aimed at promoting journalism training and professional exchange.
On energy cooperation, the Ambassador pointed to the partnership between Rosatom and the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, which continues to support Ghana’s long-term nuclear power programme through technical cooperation, capacity building and human resource development.
Ambassador Ordash presented his Letters of Credence to President John Dramani Mahama in June alongside six other envoys and has since embarked on an active programme of public and diplomatic engagement aimed at strengthening Ghana–Russia relations. Since assuming office, he has engaged government institutions, academia, the media and the wider Ghanaian public as part of efforts to deepen bilateral cooperation and enhance people-to-people ties between the two countries.
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