Accra, July 2 (IANS) As he began his landmark visit to Ghana, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday was accorded a rousing welcome by members of the Indian community at a hotel in Accra, shortly after his arrival in the West African country.

There is a sizable Indian community in Ghana numbering over 15,000. Some of them have been in Ghana for over 70 years. Some families are now the fourth generation in Ghana, and most have acquired Ghanaian citizenship. Several expatriates are also working for MNCs and prominent local Ghanaian businesses as skilled workers.

Hundreds of people, including locals, started chanting “Modi-Modi”, “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Vande Mataram” as soon as PM Modi arrived at the hotel.

During the grand welcome, PM Modi was seen interacting with the Indian diaspora and even holding a child in his arms in what turned out to be an unforgettable moment for the Indian family.

Using local musical instruments and a drum, Ghanian artists also rendered an instrumental version of ‘Jai Ho’ as PM Modi watched them from close quarters and applauded their talent.

PM Modi also applauded a group of locals who joined Indians in chanting ‘Hare Krishna, Hare Rama’.

The Indian community is served by a Hindu temple, a Gurudwara, and a Hindu Monastery, in Accra. An ISKCON temple, mostly run by Ghanaians, and an Art of Living Centre is also quite active.

Earlier, as he arrived on his first ever bilateral trip to the African nation, also the first Prime Ministerial visit from India to Ghana after three decades, Ghana President John Dramani Mahama welcomed PM Modi at the Kotoka International Airport in a special gesture showcasing the significance of the landmark visit.

PM Modi was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the airport as both leaders then sat down for a brief interaction at the Jubilee Lounge of the airport.

“Ghana is a valued partner in the Global South and plays an important role in the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States. I look forward to my exchanges aimed at further deepening our historical ties and opening up new windows of cooperation, including in the areas of investment, energy, health, security, capacity building and development partnership. As fellow democracies, it will be an honour to speak at the Parliament of Ghana,” PM Modi said in his departure statement earlier in the day.

Ghana is the first stop on Prime Minister Modi’s five-nation visit. It will be followed by Trinidad and Tobago (T&T), Argentina, Brazil and Namibia.

The delegation-level are scheduled to be held in Accra later in the evening, India time, as both countries review the bilateral relations and discuss various ways to strengthen and deepen partnerships. The Prime Minister will also have a one-on-one meeting with his counterpart which will be followed by a banquet dinner in honour of PM Modi.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Modi will be addressing Ghana’s Parliament and will also be interacting with the Indian community in the country, which is about 15,000 in number.

“President John Dramani Mahama has just assumed office in about January of this year after a landslide victory, which is why the visit assumes importance. Early in his tenure, the Honourable Prime Minister will be visiting Ghana. So, it will help in the continuity as well as deepening the relationship and to discuss various ways to further strengthen the relationship,” said Dammu Ravi, Secretary (ER) at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) ahead of the PM’s visit.

President Mahama has been to India in the past, particularly for the India-Africa Forum Summit in 2015 and both leaders have also met in the past on the sidelines of various global events.

“India’s relations with Ghana are historical. In the seven decades of a relationship, it has evolved to multi-faceted. We took up the cause of Ghana in the UN much before it won independence in 1957, and we have maintained a close relationship in the multilateral fora on various issues that are important for the global South,” said the MEA Secretary.

The ministry detailed that both the countries will work towards boosting the economic cooperation as Ghana undergoes a deep economic restructuring.

“Ghana has undergone the IMF conditionalities almost 17 times. So, the economic agenda will dominate the talks. The bilateral trade between India and Ghana is about $3 billion in favour of Ghana because of the large imports of gold. Investments in Ghana are about $2 billion. Both private sector-wise, which is about a billion dollars and the second half, you have lines of credit and the buyer’s credit … activities and projects have been undertaken. We have very strong cooperation in the capacity building under ITEC, and that is continuing to be stronger and deepened,” the senior diplomat commented during a special briefing held in New Delhi on Monday.

The Ghanaian leader is also quite keen to engage with India, especially in the field of vaccine development and creating a vaccine hub in the country for not just Ghana but also the West Africa context. Defence cooperation will become an important item on the agenda along with the critical minerals and the digital public infrastructure.

This visit, said the MEA, reaffirms the shared commitment of the two countries to deepen bilateral ties and strengthen India’s engagement with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union.

–IANS

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