Accra, July 5, GNA – The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Ghana has expressed optimism that the recent visit by Shri Narendra Modi, the Indian Prime Minister, will boost trade and investment in Ghana.  

 Mr Emmanuel Doni-Kwame, the Secretary- General, ICC, said Ghana and India had long standing relations since independence, expressing the hope that the visit would deepen and scale up such ties.  

 He cited peace and political stability in Ghana as being among the key factors that made the country attractive to investors.  

 In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Mr  Doni-Kwame said India had been instrumental in Ghana’s technological investment and looked forward to more of such cooperation. 

 One major field concerning technology, Mr Doni-Kwame noted, was Information Technology (IT), adding: “India is far ahead in this sector including digital technology, programming and software development and so we need knowledge sharing and investment in this area.” 

 He called for enhanced collaboration between the two countries and the establishment of more IT schools in Ghana to produce skilled labour to boost the economy.  

 Another area of technology he credited India with was manufacturing in Ghana, and called for increased investment in agricultural machinery, recycling of waste, biodegradable plastics, bio energy, nuclear energy and solar power.  

 Mr Doni-Kwame said there would be the need for joint research in agriculture, particularly in seed quality for improved yield, pointing out enhanced collaboration between Ghana’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and other technical institutions in India to achieve that goal. 

 He added that Ghana required huge investments in infrastructure, especially rail development to support movement of people and goods. 

 “Ghana is way behind when it comes to infrastructure especially rail projects. Developing our rail transport will curb a lot of post-harvest losses and also help open up the country thereby reducing congestion in the capital city,” he said.  

 Regarding the pharmaceutical industry, Mr Doni-Kwame highlighted Ghana’s abundant raw materials and called for joint ventures between the two countries to produce most of the drugs Ghana imported. 

 Such partnership would facilitate the country’s desire of becoming the pharmaceutical hub of Africa, he noted. 

 In terms of cultural cooperation, the Secretary-General said there could be collaboration to showcase the rich cultural heritage of Ghana and India through joint movies, noting that the vibrant movie industry of India could help revive the Ghanaian movie sector.  

 Prime Minister Modi embarked on a two-day visit to Ghana where he held bilateral talks with President John Dramani Mahama with the signing of several memoranda of understanding to foster collaboration and exchanges. 

 The two-day visit enriched the warm and long-standing friendship between Ghana and India, while reinforcing their commitment to strengthening strategic partnerships.