DAKSHIN

Ghana

India and Ghana relations have traditionally been warm and friendly resting on solid foundation anchored in shared values and common vision. India opened its representative office in Accra in 1953, prior to Ghana’s independence and established full-fledged diplomatic relations with Ghana in 1957, immediately after it attained independence.

India provided concessional credit and grants to Ghana for various developmental projects such as Elmina Fish Processing plant

Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Day was celebrated

High Commissioner of India met Naval Officers prior to their departure to India for Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme

High Commissioner along with Vice President of Ghana H.E. Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia cut the sod of Walewale-Savelugu Road Dualisation Project

Agreement for Lines of Credit was signed between EXIM Bank of India and Government of Ghana

Alumni of Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation & Indian Council for Cultural Relations scholarships participated in India-Ghana Partnership Day

Cooperation to tackle the challenge of COVID-19 pandemic

Indian assistance of 50,000 vaccines as gift grant was handed to Ghana on 5 March 2021. Earlier Ghana received 600,000 made in India Covishield vaccines on 24 February 2021 as part of Covax initiative.
Subsequently, on 11 May 2022 also 1 million Made in India Covishield vaccines were received by Ghana under Covax.

Capacity Building & Other Exchanges

The Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme was instituted on 15 September 1964 as a bilateral programme of assistance of the Government of India.
The ITEC Programme, fully funded by the Government of India, has evolved and grown over the years. As a result of different activities under this programme, there is now a visible and growing awareness about the competence of India as a provider of technical know-how and expertise as well as training opportunities, consultancy services and feasibility studies. Training or capacity building is one of the major activities under ITEC.
Professionals are offered unique training courses in different centers of excellence in India which empower them with not just professional skills but prepare them for an increasingly globalized world.
Under the ITEC Programme all expenditure, including the international air passages, visa, course fee, accommodation, living allowance, study tour, book allowance, health facility, are borne by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.
Capacity building is a strong pillar of bilateral cooperation and Ghana has been benefiting from India’s assistance in human resource development through optimum utilization of ITEC and ICCR scholarships and specialized training programmes conducted under IAFS decisions. During the last year (2021-22), despite covid pandemic, Ghana utilized 39 Defence ITEC slots and 34 ICCR scholarships. Earlier during 2020-2021 Ghana utilized 23 Defence ITEC slots and 30 ICCR scholarships.
Ghana has also been beneficiary of Pan African E-Network, e-VBAB [Tele-Education (e-Vidya Bharati) & Tele-Medicine (e-Arogya Bharati)] Project.
A MoU was signed between Ghana and TCIL on 26 August 2019 for participation by Ghana in the e-VBAB Project to provide good quality, affordable and effective tele-education and tele-medicine services through specially developed web-based platforms. Ghana was the pilot country to roll out the project, which is under implementation since 2020.
More than 600 Ghanaian students enrolled for various under graduate/post graduate courses for the academic session in 2021 in prestigious Indian universities. For academic session starting in 2022, around 900 Ghanaian students have enrolled. On 13 December 2021, Hon’ble Simon Mensah, Regional Minister of Ashanti Region and High Commissioner inaugurated the eVBAB (e-learning) center at KNUST, Kumasi.

Development Cooperation (Grants/ LoCs/ Assistance)

India has been supporting Ghana’s development by providing assistance in developmental projects through provision of Lines of Credit (LoC) and grants. (In the past Ghana was one of the nine West African countries under the India’s TEAM 9 initiative launched in 2004.)
Till date, India has extended about US$ 450 million of concessional credit and grants to Ghana for various developmental projects. Among the important projects are the Rural Electrification Project, India-Ghana Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence for ICT (2003); Jubilee House Presidential Complex (2008); Komenda Sugar Plant (2016) and Elmina Fish Processing plant (2016).
LoC agreements of US$ 150 million for Agriculture Mechanization and US$ 30 million to upgrade Potable Water Supply System in Yendi were signed in April 2019 and are currently under implementation.
Foreign Service Training Institute established through a LoC funding of US$ 5 million has been handed over to the client (MoFARI), an additional LoC of US$ 2.06 million for expansion of the project has also been approved.
Grant assistance of US$ 1 million was provided to upgrade the India-Ghana Kofi Annan ICT Centre in 2016 and another grant of US$ 1 million was provided to rehabilitate the Jubilee House Presidential Complex in 2017.
In addition to concessional credit through LoCs, India extended Buyers’ Credit of US$ 398.33 million for the Tema-Akosombo railway line in November 2016 and added later US$ 48.84 million for extension up till Mpakadan.
Other project under Buyer’s Credit is Construction of Tamale-Walewale Road amounting US$ 387.438 mn to JMC Project (India) Ltd., of which the work on Phase-I worth US$ 158.62 on the sector Savelugu-Walewale has already started.