Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has described the upcoming two-day state visit by Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi as “a defining moment in Ghana-India relations,” signalling a strategic shift in trade, diplomacy, and South-South cooperation.
Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to arrive in Accra on Wednesday, July 2, for a historic visit, the first by an Indian leader in three decades. The trip is expected to elevate decades of bilateral cooperation into a forward-looking partnership centred on trade, technology, agriculture, health, defence, and cultural exchange.
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“This is not just any visit,” Mr. Ablakwa told journalists in Accra on Tuesday. “This is a state visit, the highest form of diplomatic engagement, and it is historic. It has been 30 long years since an Indian Prime Minister came to Ghana, and we are honoured to receive Prime Minister Modi at such a time.”
The visit will begin with full state honours at the Jubilee Presidential Lounge, where President John Dramani Mahama will formally welcome the Indian leader with a military parade and national salute. Bilateral discussions between both heads of state and their delegations will follow, with key outcomes expected to include the establishment of a Ghana-India Joint Commission and the signing of several memoranda of understanding.
Ghana and India currently enjoy a trade volume of $3 billion, with Ghana maintaining a trade surplus primarily due to gold exports. But Mr. Ablakwa said the partnership goes far beyond trade.
“India’s support is visible and verifiable,” he said, citing several Indian-funded projects in Ghana. These include the Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT, the Komenda Sugar Factory, the Elmina Fish Processing Plant, the Tema-Mpakadan Railway Line, the Tamale-Wa Road, a rural electrification programme, a Foreign Service Institute, and an agricultural machinery assembly plant. Collectively, India’s lines of credit to Ghana have exceeded $450 million.
The foundations of the Ghana-India relationship date back to 1953, when India opened a consulate in Accra. Mr. Ablakwa recalled the historical ties between Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and Jawaharlal Nehru, which helped shape the Non-Aligned Movement during the Cold War era. That legacy, he said, still guides multilateral cooperation between the two democracies.
During the visit, Prime Minister Modi will also be conferred with Ghana’s highest national honour, the Companion of the Order of the Star of Ghana, at a state banquet hosted at Jubilee House. Mr. Ablakwa described the award as “reserved for the most loyal and strategic friends of Ghana,” acknowledging Modi’s role in deepening Ghana-India ties.
On Thursday, July 3, the Prime Minister is expected to engage with the Indian diaspora community in Ghana, lay a wreath at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, and address Parliament, becoming one of the few world leaders to be invited to do so.
“The biggest democracy in the world will speak to the most vibrant democracy in Africa,” Mr. Ablakwa said. “It’s a moment that celebrates democratic values, freedom, and development.”
He concluded by stressing that the visit is not just ceremonial, but consequential. “It is about building the future, expanding trade, increasing Indian investments in Ghana, and strengthening our place in global diplomacy.”
