Accra (Ghana): India and Ghana are looking to expand their comprehensive partnership into new areas including pharmaceuticals, health, mining, defence, railways and digital sectors, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said.
The two countries also sought to deepen cooperation on Global South issues, while Ghana announced its decision to seek BRICS membership.
Jaishankar arrived in Ghana on Tuesday on the first leg of his three-nation tour of African countries, which also includes Côte d'Ivoire and Ethiopia.
Jaishankar said the two sides need to "live up to" their comprehensive partnership by finding new areas of cooperation and deepening their long-standing relationship.
The India-Ghana bilateral relationship was elevated to a comprehensive partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the African country in July 2025.
"Now that we have established a comprehensive partnership, we need to live up to that. We need to find new areas of cooperation. We need to deepen our long-standing partnership," Jaishankar said in a media interaction after talks with his Ghanaian counterpart Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa.
The external affairs minister posted a video of the media interaction on Wednesday.
Ghana's Cabinet has meanwhile approved a decision to seek membership of BRICS and will now formally apply to join the grouping, Ablakwa said in the media interaction.
Ablakwa said Ghana's BRICS decision was aimed at diversifying its international partnerships and giving the country more options in its development agenda, while stressing that Accra would not walk away from traditional partners such as the IMF and World Bank.
"We want to have options. We are not going to walk away from our traditional partners. We value that relationship, but we must have new friends," he said.
Ghana will now take steps to formally apply for membership and “seek the support” of BRICS members, Ablakwa said, noting that admission would ultimately require the approval of the grouping.
The Ghanaian foreign minister also identified India, Brazil and China as historical partners with which Ghana has significant trade and investment engagement.
He further said Ghana's trade with India had more than doubled from around $3 billion in 2024, with the country seeking to take it to around $7 billion.
Jaishankar said the two countries had discussed pooling their development experience, noting that several programmes in Ghana and India address similar challenges in areas including food security, healthcare, digitalisation and infrastructure.
"So, given these similarities, given these patterns, I think it's very natural for us as countries of the Global South to pool our experience, to see what we can do to support each other, to share with each other," he said.
The two countries also signed agreements on agricultural research and training and biodiversity, Jaishankar said.
“Other than the two agreements we signed today on agricultural research and training and on biodiversity, we are looking at more cooperation, definitely in pharmaceuticals and health, in mining, in defence, in railways, in digital,” said the external affairs minister.
India has been stepping up engagement with African countries through trade, investment, development partnerships and cooperation in areas ranging from technology to energy.
The continent is important to India both as a growing economic and resource partner and as a key voice of the Global South.
Ghana is particularly significant as it is set to assume the chairmanship of the African Union in 2027.
Ghana's BRICS announcement came as Jaishankar held talks with its leadership during his ongoing visit, including President John Dramani Mahama.
"An honour to call on President John Dramani Mahama @JDMahama of Ghana this afternoon. Conveyed warm greetings from President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister @narendramodi," Jaishankar posted on X on Tuesday after meeting the Ghanaian president.
"We spoke about the strong momentum in [the] India - Ghana partnership following the landmark visit of PM Modi last year. Appreciate President Mahama’s vision for Ghana’s development, as well as his positive outlook on deepening our Comprehensive Partnership across diverse domains," he said.
In his address at Ghana's Foreign Service Institute on Tuesday, Jaishankar highlighted India's economic transformation, pointing to progress in the economy, infrastructure, digital technology, manufacturing and entrepreneurship, and said these developments were making India a significant engine of global growth.
He also underscored the power of an accessible digital ecosystem in democratising opportunities and said, "India stands ready to share its experiences with its African partners."
The minister also highlighted the imperative of supply-chain resilience, including for fuel, food, fertiliser and finance, as well as the Global South's right to industrialise.
Jaishankar added that India values self-sufficiency in key sectors while promoting cooperation in many others.
He said Indian businesses had been active in Ghana and referred to recent investment commitments in pharmaceuticals and medical services, poultry and renewable energy.
The minister said the partnership could help strengthen resilience and promote inclusion and ensure that economic growth delivers for their people amid a very turbulent and complicated world.
The two sides also discussed cooperation in multilateral forums, with Jaishankar saying India values Ghana's role in the African Union and ECOWAS.
Ghana is a founding member of ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States), a 15-member regional bloc dedicated to economic, social and political integration across West Africa.
Jaishankar said India and Ghana have a similar outlook on reform of the United Nations, including the Security Council, and should work together as Global South partners.
"We feel that as Global South partners we should be working together strongly for the reform of the United Nations, including the Security Council," he said.
The minister also said the world was moving towards multipolarity and greater diversity and that countries such as India and Ghana should stand up as voices of independence and advocates of strategic autonomy.
Jaishankar said the foreign policy outlook should be driven by strategic autonomy. “We believe that partnerships should expand our options, not restrict them.”
He also reiterated India's commitment to strengthening the voice of the Global South, citing the inclusion of the African Union in the G20 during India's presidency as an example.
The minister also interacted with members of the Indian community in Accra. “Spoke about how India is seen as a friend and a reliable & effective partner in Ghana. Also appreciated the contributions of the community in deepening our special bonds with a valued partner,” he said in another post on X.