Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Ghana on Wednesday, marking the first visit by an Indian head of government to the West African nation since 1995, as India steps up its efforts to bolster economic ties across the continent amid growing Chinese and Russian influence.
During his visit, Modi is expected to engage in bilateral talks with Ghanaian President John Mahama, focusing on trade and cooperation. He will also address Ghana’s parliament in Accra and meet with members of the Indian diaspora in the country, which is Africa’s top gold producer and a leading global supplier of cocoa.
Ghana is the first stop on Modi’s broader international tour, which will take him through the Caribbean and South America. The tour will culminate in his participation in the BRICS summit, set to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 6–7.
India, which maintains strong historical ties with Russia, is increasingly positioning itself as a counterweight to China in Africa’s geopolitical and economic landscape. Modi’s recent presence at the G7 summit in Canada further underlined his ambition to champion the voice of the “Global South” and bridge divides on the global stage, according to India’s foreign minister.
Modi will remain in Accra until midday Thursday, after which he will proceed to Trinidad and Tobago, followed by visits to Argentina and Brazil. On his return journey to India, he will stop in Namibia, which in March elected Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah as its first female president.
India has emerged as one of Ghana’s key trading partners and is the top destination for Ghanaian exports—largely driven by India’s gold imports. Bilateral trade between the two nations hit $3.1 billion in the 2024–25 fiscal year, according to India’s foreign ministry.
Ghana’s exports to India include gold, cocoa, cashew nuts and timber. India, in turn, exports pharmaceuticals, agricultural equipment, transport vehicles, electrical goods, iron and steel, plastics, and alcoholic beverages.
An estimated 15,000 Indians live in Ghana, with some families tracing their roots in the country back to its independence nearly seven decades ago.
