India‘s role in international relations with particular reference to Africa has come of age. The special relationship between India and Africa was strengthened at the India-Africa forum summit held in April 2008 at New Delhi. India’s quest to compete with the west and other Asian countries for trade and development of Africa is not only commendable but inspirational to the African countries.
Indo-Ghana relationship have traditionally been warm and friendly. The strong foundation was built by India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Ghana’s first President Kwame Nkrumah; the two great leaders enjoyed a special kind of friendship. Both were influential in the formation of the Non Aligned Movement in 1961.
It is of significant to note that the Flagstaff House which served as the office of President Nkrumah was located near India House, the residence of the High Commissioner of India. The location of the two buildings reinforces the special bond between India and Ghana. Coincidentally, when the current government deemed it prudent to build a presidential palace, it chose the same place for that wonderful architectural edifice designed from India. The building has been made possible with a loan from the India Government.
Most Indians are industrious and hardworking. They have the zeal and determination to succeed and that is what keeps them going. They have made their contribution felt all over the world through their contribution to Industry, Service and the business sectors. This is evident in the acquisition of Jaguar by TATA and the success story of Mr. Lakshmi Mittal, who at the age of 56 is fifth on the world richest list. Currently there are ten Indian companies in Forbes’50 best listed companies in the Asia-Pacific region. 6 Indians are also listed in Forbes’ under 40 Asian billionaire list.
The Ghana Investment Promotion Council recently reported that India has the highest new large projects in Ghana. This should be good news to all Ghanaians; it shows the confidence that India has in Ghana’s economy. There are a lot of companies in Ghana which are owned by Indians and are doing very well on the local and international market. Indians have investments in agricultural, manufacturing and other sectors of the economy, most of our pharmaceutical companies are collaborating with Indian firms to manufacture and supply quality and affordable drugs to our health sector. The employment of Ghanaians by these companies has also helped to lessen the burden of unemployment in the country. This amply demonstrates the level of commitment India has in the developmental agenda of Ghana. Indians are not only investing in the manufacturing and commercial sectors of the country, they are also investing in the financial sector. Bank of Baroda, one of the reputable banks in India just established a branch in Ghana and hopefully it would expand its operations in other parts of the country very soon.
The IT sector is also one of the areas with a lot of Indian investment; India is regarded as one of the super powers in Information Technology. Current globalization trends have revealed that a Country would only develop when it builds the confidence of its youth and invests a lot in manpower and Information Technology. The Electronic and Computer Software Export Promotion Council of India for sometime now has been inviting 5-6 persons in the IT sector annually to attend their exhibitions, during these programs ideas are shared on new technologies in the IT sector. Currently NIIT an Indian owned ICT educational organisation is training a lot of Ghanaian youth in different IT programs. It is expected that the graduates from this school would help place Ghana on the ICT map of the world. The contribution of the Indian Government in the establishment of the Kofi Annan ICT centre, the award of scholarships to Ghanaians to study in Indian through the annual Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) and also scholarships for graduate and post graduate programs in India shows the extent to which India has the development of the human resource base of Ghana at its heart. Every year a number of business fairs are held in India focusing on Africa. Most reputable Ghanaian companies are invited to participate in most of these fairs.
For sometime now a lot of people have been clamouring for women to take up the leadership mantle in Ghana. This is another area where India has already shown the way. The Current President of India, Her Excellency Pratibha Devisingh Patil is a woman.She is the President of the world’s largest democracy. She has been working smoothly with the Prime Minister His Excellency Manmohan Singh to chart a successful path for India. India’s foreign policy towards Africa under their leadership has been very excellent. India now regards Africa as a partner than a continent with a cup in hand. India is importing a lot of natural resources from Africa and giving Africa a lot of loans and machinery like tractors and other engineering equipment for its development.
The Indian High Commissioner to Ghana, Her Excellency Ruchi Ghanashyam is another woman Ghanaian women can look up to as a role model.
The Political and economic achievements of India did not come by sudden flight but could be attributed to their level of commitment, patriotism and the will to die a little for their country. India’s position in the geopolitics of the world is worthy of emulation by Ghana and the earlier we Ghanaians develop the can do spirit and commit ourselves to the development of the country, the better our country would be.
Mustapha Jimah Accra Mjimah@yahoo.co.uk