President Pranab Mukherjee of the Republic of India in a thankful handshake with President Mahama

Prez thanks India for its support to Ghana

Kwame Asare Boadu Jun - 14 - 2016 , 07:40

Ghana and India yesterday signed three new cooperation agreements after talks between President John Dramani Mahama and the visiting Indian President, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, at the Flagstaff House.

The agreements are the exemption of visa requirements for holders of diplomatic passports, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the establishment of a joint commission on cooperation and an MoU on foreign relations.

The Indian President, who was on a three-day official visit to Ghana, was received at the Flagstaff House by his host, as traditional horn blowers and the police mounted squadron provided side attractions.

Signing ceremony

Speaking at the signing ceremony, President Mahama said the visit — the first by an Indian President — reaffirmed the strong ties between Ghana and India and expressed the hope that the agreements would strengthen their relations.

He thanked India for the support it continued to provide for Ghana through India’s Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) programme.

He mentioned the construction of the Flagstaff House, the Komenda Sugar Factory and the rural electrification programme as some of the major development initiatives that enjoyed India's support.

President Mahama added that currently a $24-million Indian credit facility was being processed through Parliament for the cultivation of sugar cane to feed the Komenda Sugar Factory.

Additionally, a $30-million credit line was to be extended to Ghana for the rehabilitation and upgrading of the Yendi water system, he said.

President Pranab Mukherjee of the Republic of India planting a tree of life to mark his three-day official visit to Ghana. Looking on is President Mahama. Picture: EBOW HANSON

Besides, the government was working on a $4.7-million credit from the India Exim Bank for the construction of a foreign service training centre.

President Mahama expressed delight that India had recognised a new category of lower middle-income countries that were undertaking programmes with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the administration of its ODA.

He said Ghana would take advantage to seek assistance in undertaking projects such as the Tema- Akosombo railway line, agricultural modernisation, with emphasis on agri-business, the supply of heavy duty passenger buses to improve metro transport and the establishment of a technology centre for renewable energy efficiency to provide the needed support for entrepreneurs and industry.

He told his guest that the Lands Commission was working to make land available to India on a reciprocal basis for the construction of the Indian High Commission building.

Bilateral trade

When he took his turn, Mr Mukherjee called for measures to increase bilateral trade between India and Ghana from the current annual figure of $3 million to $5 billion by 2020.

He said there were enormous opportunities for the two countries to explore to their advantage.

Credit utilisation

President Mukherjee recognised the effective manner in which Ghana had utilised credit extended to it by India.

“You have fully utilised the lines of credit and more lines of credit can be extended to create new projects,” he added.

He made reference to the larger African continent, pointing out that India was getting even more serious about Africa’s development.

The age-old Indo-Africa relations were given a further boost in 2015 when, at the third India-Africa Forum Summit in New Delhi, India announced a credit of $10 billion to Africa over a period of five years and 50,000 scholarships to African students to pursue their studies in India.

Making reference to the $10-billion facility, President Mukherjee said: “Ghana, as a progressive developing country, can take a substantial part of it.”

He further announced that India had decided to extend its scholarship grant to Ghana from 250 to 300 students and urged the country to fully utilise it.

He called for concerted efforts to tackle cross-border terrorism, saying: “No country is safe today.”

The Indian President, accompanied by President Mahama, later planted a tree at the forecourt of the Flagstaff House to symbolise his visit.