- PM Modi’s visit concluded by signing four MoUs in the areas of culture, standards, traditional medicine and the institutional dialogue.
- India and Ghana have decided to double bilateral trade from the current around USD 3.3 billion in 2023 to USD 6 billion in five years.
- Modi’s Accra visit is inseparable from India’s previous G20 presidency, where New Delhi secured a permanent seat for the African Union in the grouping.
A two-day visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Accra from July 2 to 3, 2025, was the first bilateral trip by an Indian Prime Minister to Ghana in three decades. Beyond the fanfare of ceremonial honours guard of honour, 21-gun salute, and traditional Ghanaian music and dance, the trip demonstrated India’s commitment to strengthening its engagement with the Global South, partly reviving the post-colonial solidarities of Nehru and Nkrumah, while projecting a more 21st-century South–South partnership.
Rekindling Historical Bonds
Ghana was the first sub-Saharan nation to win independence from colonial rule in 1957, and its founding president, Kwame Nkrumah, developed a close personal and ideological kinship with India’s Jawaharlal Nehru. The ethos of non-alignment and anti-colonial solidarity of that era held the scaffolding for today’s diplomatic renewal. Modi himself invoked this common heritage, describing Ghana as “India’s co-traveller in development” and highlighting that the two countries’ “soul connections” go beyond transactions.
Substantive Agreements and Ambitious Targets
The visit concluded by signing four MoUs in the areas of culture, standards, traditional medicine and the institutional dialogue. The two nations will promote joint exhibitions, residencies and academic exchanges under the scheme of a Cultural Exchange Programme. A Memorandum of Understanding between India’s Bureau of Indian Standards and the Ghana Standards Authority commits the two institutions to working together in the area of product certification and quality control. In traditional medicine, India’s Institute of Teaching & Research in Ayurveda will team up with Ghana’s Institute of Traditional & Alternative Medicine to share curricula, collaborate on research, and run training programs. Finally, a Joint Commission mechanism was institutionalised to ensure regular high-level reviews of bilateral cooperation.
On the economic front, they decide to double bilateral trade from the current around USD 3.3 billion in 2023 to USD 6 billion in five years, during the reigns of Modi and President John Dramani Mahama. “Indian businesses have invested approximately USD 2 billion in nearly 900 projects in that country, including (major) steel manufacturing and retail chain Melcom,” the envoy said. India’s proposal to share its Unified Payments Interface (UPI) technology is oriented towards leapfrogging Ghana’s fintech industry, and cooperation on critical minerals will help to strengthen the supply chains for batteries, rare earths and other strategic inputs.
Security and Strategic Dimensions
In defence and security, the mantra of “security through solidarity” will guide expanded cooperation. Commitments include joint training exercises, maritime patrols, cyber-security capacity building and defence equipment transfers. Both leaders condemned terrorism as “the enemy of humanity” and resolved to redouble counter-terrorism intelligence and capacity-building efforts. These are all part of New Delhi’s larger African play, which aims not just at access to markets but partnerships that help maintain regional stability.
Soft-Power Outreach and Diaspora Engagement
Modi’s ceremonial reception, replete with traditional Kente cloth, drumming ensembles and accolades, was more than pageantry. It signalled India’s acknowledgement of Ghana’s cultural leadership in West Africa. With a diaspora of over 15,000 Indians, Ghana represents a focal point for people-to-people ties. The Cultural Exchange MoU, combined with annual festivals and academic chairs in Indian studies, will amplify India’s soft-power reach in a continent where Beijing’s Confucius Institutes and infrastructure loans have long captured attention.
Geopolitical Implications and the Global South
Modi’s Accra visit is inseparable from India’s previous G20 presidency, where New Delhi secured a permanent seat for the African Union in the grouping. In his focus on Ghana, a champion of Pan-Africanism, Modi underlined India’s desire to ensure the bridge between Asia and Africa would link the two subcontinents as well. This recalibration is a move to balance out China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative and a return to positioning India as a credible development partner based on democratic governance and technology transfer.
Critical Reflections and Implementation Risks
But bold claims need to be backed up with concrete results. Doubling trade to USD 6 billion-plus requires not just tariff concessions but also better logistics, regulatory convergence and financial architecture. The UPI transfer must navigate Ghana’s data-privacy laws and banking regulations, lest technology remain underutilised. Critical minerals collaboration sparks questions about the environment and community rights. Ghana’s gold mines have not been free from criticism with respect to how they use land and their impact on society. Defence relations, unbalanced, may be viewed more as India projecting its strategic footprint instead of generating mutual security.
In addition, the effectiveness of the Joint Commission will rely on the continued high-level attention of domestic politics in both capitals, which is highly competitive. Without dedicated secretariats and measurable indicators, MoUs risk gathering dust. Civil-society exchanges, parliamentary linkages and subnational partnerships will be vital to embed this partnership beyond executive fiat.
Toward a New Chapter in India–Africa Relations
Prime Minister Modi’s accession to the Order of the Star of Ghana, the nation’s highest honour, serves as both a diplomatic accolade and a call to action. If properly implemented, the accords signed in Accra can foster sustainable development, technology adoption and shared prosperity. But success relies on mutual accountability, open roadmaps and ongoing civil-society involvement. For New Delhi and Accra alike, this historic visit provides a model for fair South-South partnership, one of mutual benefit, not one-sided generosity informed by respect for sovereignty, mutual solidarity and a vision of global cooperation.
References:
- PTI. (2025, July 2). With PM visiting Ghana, Congress recalls Nkrumah–Nehru ties.
- ModernGhana News. (2025, July 1). Ghana–India trade hits $3 billion amid strong bilateral ties.
- Livemint. (2025, July 3). PM Modi’s historic Ghana visit: UPI push, 4 MoUs inked, new frontiers in defence, and minerals explored: A look.
- The Times of India. (2025, July 2). PM Modi 5-Nation Visit Live: PM Modi to address parliaments of Ghana, Namibia, and Trinidad & Tobago [Live blog]. The Times of India.
- All India Radio News. (2025, July 3). India, Ghana elevate ties to Comprehensive Partnership; PM Modi conferred Ghana’s top honour. News on AIR.
- DD News. (2025, July 2). PM Modi holds wide-ranging talks with Ghana President, signs key MoUs during historic visit. DD News.
Shashank is a Master’s student in Diplomacy, Law, and Business at O.P. Jindal Global University. He is also a researcher and coordinator at the Center for Global South and the Center for Southeast Asian Studies. His research interests include Southeast Asia, Chinese foreign policy, India’s Act East Policy, and global security dynamics. Views expressed are the author’s own.
Megna Devkar 
Piyush Anand