New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee will undertake a three-nation visit to Africa from June 12 to 17. He will be undertaking visits to Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire and Namibia
During his state visit to Ghana from June 12 to 14, where he is going at the invitation of the President of Ghana, Mr. John Dramani Mahama, the president will be accompanied by a Minister of State, four Members of the Parliament, senior officials, business and a media delegation.
President Mukherjee will be received on his arrival in Ghana capital Accra by Vice President Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur and will be given a traditional Ghanian welcome.
Thereafter, the President will have a one-to-one meeting with President Mahama followed by delegation-level talks. A number of agreements are under process for signing, including the setting up of a Joint Commission between India and Ghana and a renewal of an existing cultural exchange programme.
President Mukherjee would be delivering an address at the Joint Business Forum and at the University of Ghana, and would also interact with the Indian community at a reception organized by the Indian High Commissioner in his honour.
President Mukherjee will unveil a statue of Mahatma Gandhi gifted by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations and also plant a sapling at the Flag Staff House (Ghanaian Presidential Complex), an iconic building built with the Indian assistance through a Line of Credit. President will also visit the India-Ghana Kofi Annan Centre of ICT Excellence in Accra, set up with modest Indian assistance of USD 2.86 million.
Bilateral trade and investments have been steadily growing. India’s cumulative investments in Ghana till date have exceeded USD 1 billion and bilateral trade crossed USD 3 billion mark in 2015-16.
President Mahama will also host a state banquet in honour of President Mukherjee and the accompanying delegation.
After completing his two-day visit to Ghana, President Mukherjee will pay an official visit to the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire from June 14 to 15 at the invitation of President Alassane Ouattara.
This will be the first ever high-level visit from India to the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
India and Cote d’Ivoire enjoy warm and friendly relations sharing common values of democracy, development and secularism. Bilateral relations are marked by mutual respect and understanding.
India and Cote d’Ivoire bilateral trade grew from USD 344.99 million in 2010-11 to USD 841.85 million in 2014-15. India, with in the rubric of South-South Cooperation, has extended lines of credit amounting to USD 156.3 million to the Government of Cote d’Ivoire for developmental projects in diverse fields such as public transportation, rural electrification, rice self-sufficiency, cashew nut processing, vegetable oil processing, coconut fibre processing, fisheries processing etc. and Mahatma Gandhi IT and Bio-technology Park.
During his stay in Cote d’Ivoire, the president will have a one-to-one meeting with President Ouattara followed by delegation level talks. President Mukherjee would be conferred the National Order of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire, the highest Order of the country and would also be handed over the Key to the city of Abidjan.
The agreement regarding opening of EXIM Bank Representative/Regional in Abidjan would be handed over in presence of both presidents. President Mukherjee would also address a Joint Business Forum and also interact with the Indian community before emplaning for Namibia on June 15. (ANI)