ACCRA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Ghana on Wednesday, the first Indian leader to visit the cocoa-rich country in three decades as the Asian nation competes with China and Russia for economic influence in Africa.
A military guard, as well as traditional Ghanaian drummers and dancers performing in colorful kente outfits, welcomed Modi at the airport as he arrived to hold bilateral trade and cooperation talks with Ghana’s President John Mahama, who has been in power since January.
Modi is also due to address the Ghanaian parliament in the capital, Accra, and meet members of the Indian community in the largest gold-producing country in Africa.
Accra is the first stop in a tour that will take the Indian premier to Caribbean and South American countries.
India, the world’s most populous country, has close ties with Russia but is often in rivalry with China — two powers vying for more influence in Africa.
Last month, the Indian leader attended the G7 summit in Canada, acting as a “bridge” between various players on the international scene, his foreign minister told AFP.
In a statement before his departure, Modi said Ghana was “a valued partner in the Global South,” praising its role in regional blocs including the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States.
Mahama, wearing a striped hat with Ghana’s national colors of red, yellow and green, greeted the prime minister at the airport Wednesday and walked him down a red carpet laid out in front of his plane.
Modi will remain in Accra until midday on Thursday, before flying to Trinidad and Tobago, then on to Argentina and Brazil.
He will attend a summit of the BRICS group of emerging economies in Rio de Janeiro on July 6 and 7.
Before returning to India, he will also stop in Namibia, a southern Africa country which in March elected its first woman president, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah.
India is one of Ghana’s main trading partners and is the leading destination for Ghanaian exports, primarily due to Indian gold imports.
According to the Indian foreign ministry, bilateral trade between the two countries reached $3.1 billion in 2024-2025.
Ghana’s main exports to India include gold, cocoa, cashew nuts and timber, while India exports pharmaceuticals, agricultural machinery, transport vehicles, electrical equipment, plastics, iron and steel and alcoholic beverages.
The last time an Indian prime minister visited Ghana was in 1995.
India says there are around 15,000 Indians living in Ghana, some of whom have been in the country since its independence nearly 70 years ago.
