The volume of bilateral trade between Ghana and India has for the first time crossed $1 billion, reaching $1.2 billion, the Indian High Commission in Ghana has disclosed.
India is the second largest foreign investor-country in Ghana in terms of number of projects and ranked ninth on the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) scale.
The third quarter report on FDIs compiled by the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) for last year had India registering a total of 23 projects, topping the list of countries with the highest number of registered projects in the country.
In an exclusive interview with The Finder in Accra last Friday, the Indian High Commissioner, Mr Jeeva Sagar, noted that given the enormous potential that exists, �we expect rapid expansion in bilateral trade in the coming years.�
In a related development, India has marked its 65th Republic Day anniversary with a flag-hoisting ceremony at the residence of the High Commissioner in Accra.
The High Commissioner disclosed that Indian investments in Ghana had reached about $700 million, spanning diverse sectors, including manufacturing, mining, housing & construction, and education.
�I am particularly happy at the significant contribution India has been making towards capacity building and human resources development in Ghana through training programmes, academic programmes and educational scholarships,� the Indian envoy remarked.
Mr Sagar was impressed that Ghanaian students were rated among the finest by the academic instructors in India, adding that �India is happy to have been supporting Ghana's socio-economic development through grants and easy credit, with projects that touch the lives of the common Ghanaian in a positive and enduring way.�
Indian President, Mr Pranab Mukherjee has warned governments to deal decisively with corrupt acts or face the rage of voters who put them there.
�If governments do not remove these flaws, voters will remove governments,� he warned.
These were contained in an address read by the Indian High Commissioner to Ghana, Mr Jeeva Sagar, in Accra yesterday on behalf of the President.
The address was read after a flag-hoisting ceremony at the Indian High Commission in Accra to commemorate India�s 65th Republic Day.
The President noted that if Indians were enraged it was because they were witnessing corruption and waste of natural resources.
Warning against hypocrisy in public life, Mr Mukherjee stated that elections did not give any person the licence to �flirt with illusions,� adding that those who sought the trust of voters had to promise only what was possible.
�Government is not a charity shop, and populist anarchy cannot be a substitute for governance,� he noted.
According to the Indian Premier, �false promises lead to disillusionment, which gives birth to rage, and that rage has one legitimate target: those in power.�
He pointed out that the rage from citizens would abate only when governments deliver what they were elected to deliver, which is social and economic progress, �not at a snail�s pace but with the speed of a racehorse.�
The President charged those in public office to eliminate the trust deficit between them and the people, saying that �those in politics should understand that every election comes with a warning sign � perform or perish.�
As a democratic nation, it is prudent to solve problems through discussion and consent, not force.
He advised healthy differences of opinion, adding that �such differences should not lead to unhealthy strife within our polity.�
�A debate is legitimate but it should conform to democratic norms. The politics of divide and rule has extracted a heavy price on our sub-continent. If we do not work together, nothing will ever work,� he said.
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