New Delhi/Accra, Jun 30: Economic agenda will dominate Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to Ghana, one of the fastest-growing economies in West Africa, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Monday.

The African nation will be the first stop on PM Modi's five-nation visit, starting July 2 followed by Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina, Brazil and Namibia.

The July 2-3 visit will be Prime Minister Modi's first ever bilateral visit to Ghana and the first Prime Ministerial visit from India to Ghana after three decades.

"There will be a ceremonial welcome for PM Modi on July 2, followed by delegation-level talks during which the bilateral relations will be reviewed and various ways discussed to strengthen and deepen bilateral relations. The Prime Minister will have a one-on-one meeting with his counterpart. Then there'll be a banquet dinner in honour of the Prime Minister. The next day, the Prime Minister will be addressing the Parliament, and he will also be interacting with the Indian community there, which is about 15,000 in number," MEA Secretary (Economic Relations) Dammu Ravi told reporters at a media briefing ahead of the visit.

As both countries focus on enhancing and deepening bilateral ties, PM Modi's visit assumes significance considering it comes early in the tenure of Ghana President John Dramani Mahama who assumed office in January after a landslide victory.

Consolidating India's position as a voice of the Global South, Prime Minister Modi has been spotlighting India's emergence as a 'Vishwa Bandhu' in a divided world.

Over the last 11 years, India has also strongly established itself as an all-weather friend of Africa with PM Modi emphasising New Delhi's commitment to the continent.

India's ties with Ghana are historical and the partnership has become more multifaceted in the seven decades of the relationship.

"We took up the cause of Ghana in the UN much before it won independence in 1957. We have maintained close relationships in various multilateral forums on various issues that are important to the Global South," the MEA Secretary said.

Both countries are working towards boosting economic cooperation as Ghana is undergoing a deep economic restructuring.

With the bilateral trade between India and Ghana currently standing at approximately $3 billion, primarily due to large gold imports - which accounts for over 70 per cent of total imports from Ghana - the MEA Secretary stated that economic agenda will dominate the talks during the visit.

"During the visit, there will be a few focus items — agriculture, where the Ghanaian President is keen to engage with India. He is also keen on vaccine development, creating a vaccine hub in Ghana for not just Ghana but also West Africa. Defence cooperation will become an important item on the agenda, and also the critical minerals and the digital public infrastructure," said Secretary Ravi.

The MEA said that the visit to Ghana will reaffirm 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.

India-Ghana relations have traditionally been warm and friendly, based on solid foundations anchored in shared values and a 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.

The bilateral ties are marked by a robust and expanding trade and investment partnership. India is among the top trading partners of Ghana and is the largest destination for Ghanaian exports.

India has also supported Ghana's development by extending assistance in developmental projects through concessional Lines of Credit (LoC) and grants, having extended about US$450 million of LoC and grants to Ghana for various projects.

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 in their fourth generation in Ghana, and most have acquired Ghanaian citizenship.

"The Presidency of the Republic of Ghana is pleased to announce that the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, will undertake a two-day Official Visit to Ghana from Wednesday... The visit highlights the warm and longstanding friendly relations between Ghana and India, as well as the importance both nations place on strengthening their strategic partnership," said Felix Kwakye Ofosu, the Presidential Spokesman and Minister of State in-charge of Government Communications of Ghana on Friday.

Prime Minister Modi's visit, the Ghanaian Presidency mentioned, is expected to strengthen bilateral ties, foster deeper economic cooperation, and solidify the bonds of friendship between the peoples of Ghana and India.

"The leaders will engage in discussions aimed at deepening cooperation across various sectors, including trade, investment, agriculture, technology, education, healthcare, and energy. They will also exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest," the statement added.

(IANS)

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