Guests who attended this year’s celebration of the Indian Technical and Co-operation (ITEC) day were awestruck by accounts and experiences from beneficiaries of the programme.

This year’s celebration took a different twist as the beneficiaries of the programme, who included workers from the film-making industry, the Ghana Police Service, the Ministry of Defence, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Parliament and the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), gave vivid accounts of their experiences in India.

ITEC is a bilateral assistance programme run by the Government of India and is a demand-driven, response-oriented programme that focuses on addressing the needs of developing countries through innovative technological co-operation between India and the partnering nation.

The programme covers 160 countries across Asia, Africa, Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe, and several Pacific and Caribbean nations.

The event, held at the residence of the High Commissioner, in Accra, saw the display of the Bollywood dance performed by the National President of the Ghana Film Directors Guild, Mr J.A. Boateng, to the admiration of the Indian envoy to Ghana, Mr Jeeva Sagar, and other guests and diplomats.

Mr Boateng, who graduated recently from the Indian Film Academy, performed a Hindi song at the same event while exhibiting his agility in Indian folklore dance and music.

Mr Bright Tsriku of NADMO recounted how the training programme had proven the importance of documenting data on disasters and studying them well enough to forestall subsequent disasters.

An excited Mr Sagar expressed his joy over the benefits of the programme, and encouraged the graduates to apply what they had been taught in India to the benefit of all Ghanaians.

“We are proud of you; we are happy that you have learnt a great deal from your training, but India will be happier if you employ these skills and knowledge in the service of you nation.”

The Indian High Commissioner disclosed that 50,000 more scholarships would be available in the next five years for prospective applicants.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ms Hanna Tetteh, paid glowing compliments to the government and people of India for the programme.
“I want to express our gratitude to the Government of India for the continuous support that has been given to Ghanaians in the public and private sectors who have had the benefit of participating in specific technical and economic co-operation courses in India.”

The Minister recalled how industrious and promising Indians were back in the days, prior to Ghana’s independence, adding that, “India had already established a consulate in Ghana in 1953 and in 1957 we established a high commission and had diplomatic relations at the level of ambassadors representing each of our respective countries.”

Over the years, she affirmed that the relationship between the two nations has grown from strength to strength.

Touching on the accounts and experiences given by those who had had the opportunity to participate in programmes in India, Ms Tetteh said she was delighted to hear that they had learnt a great deal from courses and culture of the Asian country, and appealed to them to apply their experiences appropriately in Ghana.

“It’s very clear to me that all of you have gone and come back with very practical experiences and with better ideas as to how to manage particular areas of your sectors. I hope that it is not going to be just a learning experience but one that you will apply in your working lives so that what you have learnt makes a tangible impact on the organisations to which you belong.”