As PM Modi Arrives In Ghana, Locals Chant 'Hare Rama Hare Krishna'
In a heartfelt gesture, a group of young Ghanaian children greeted him with the devotional chant "Hare Rama Hare Krishna". Hundreds of people, including locals, started chanting "Modi-Modi", "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" and "Vande Mataram" as soon as Mr Modi arrived at the hotel.
This is his first ever bilateral trip to the African nation and the first Prime Ministerial visit from India to Ghana after three decades.
Over 15,000 Indians live in the West African country, with some being in Ghana for over 70 years. Some families are now the fourth generation in Ghana with some also acquiring Ghanaian citizenship.
During the interaction, Mr Modi could be seen holding a child in his arms which turned out to be an unforgettable moment for the Indian family.
After the welcome, the two leaders sat down for an interaction at the Jubilee Lounge of the airport.
"Ghana is a valued partner in the Global South and plays an important role in the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States. I look forward to my exchanges aimed at further deepening our historical ties and opening up new windows of cooperation, including in the areas of investment, energy, health, security, capacity building and development partnership. As fellow democracies, it will be an honour to speak at the Parliament of Ghana," Mr Modi said in his departure statement earlier in the day.
After Ghana, Mr Modi will visit Trinidad and Tobago (T&T), Argentina, Brazil and Namibia during his five-nation visit.
The delegation-level are scheduled to be held in Accra later in the evening, India time, as both countries review the bilateral relations and discuss various ways to strengthen and deepen partnerships. The Prime Minister will also have a one-on-one meeting with his counterpart which will be followed by a banquet dinner in honour of Mr Modi.
On Thursday, Mr Modi will be addressing Ghana's Parliament and will also be interacting with the Indian community in the country.
The Ministry of External Affairs detailed that both the countries will work towards boosting economic cooperation as Ghana undergoes a deep economic restructuring.
The Ghanaian leader is also quite keen to engage with India, especially in the field of vaccine development and creating a vaccine hub in the country for not just Ghana but also the West Africa context. Defence cooperation will become an important item on the agenda along with the critical minerals and the digital public infrastructure.
This visit, said the MEA, reaffirms the shared commitment of the two countries to deepen bilateral ties and strengthen India's engagement with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
37 minutes ago
- Indian Express
China protests Modi's birthday greetings for Dalai Lama
India should appreciate China's sensitivities on Tibetan issues, the country said Monday as it protested over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's greetings to the Dalai Lama on his 90th birthday and the attendance of Indian ministers at the celebrations. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said: 'The 14th Dalai Lama is a political exile who has long engaged in anti-China separatist activities and seeks to separate Xizang from China under the cloak of religion.' China refers to Tibet as Xizang. 'India needs to be cognisant of the sensitivity of issues related to Xizang, see clearly the anti-China nature of the 14th Dalai Lama, honour the commitments India has made to China on issues related to Xizang, and stop using those issues to interfere in China's internal affairs. China has protested to India regarding its actions,' the spokesperson said.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Can't allow weaponisation of critical minerals: PM Modi at Brics
PM Modi at Brics NEW DELHI: Brics countries should work to make supply chains for critical minerals and technology secure and reliable, so that no country can use these resources for its own "selfish gain or as a weapon" against others, said PM Narendra Modi at the Rio summit. The remarks are significant as they come at a time the global community is grappling with China's dominance of critical minerals. Quad recently announced a critical minerals initiative to secure and diversify supply chains to prevent any economic coercion or price manipulation. Modi was speaking in the presence of Premier Li Qiang who represented China at the summit in the absence of President Xi Jinping . In April this year, amid a raging trade war with the US, China suspended export of some rare earth minerals sparking global concerns about its impact on advanced technology and security industries. The call for ensuring secure and reliable supply chains was one of the suggestions the PM made at the Brics session on strengthening multilateralism, economic issues and AI to turn the grouping into a guide for the multipolar world in the future. He said Brics' diversity and multipolarity is its greatest strength. Strengthening internal systems like the Brics New Development Bank (NDB) that would lend more credibility to the call for reformed multilateralism, collaboration in agricultural research for the benefit of Global South, creation of a Brics Science and Research Repository, and ensuring responsible AI were some of the other suggestions made by Modi in his address. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Why seniors are rushing to get this Internet box – here's why! Techno Mag Learn More Undo The PM underlined that the NDB must follow demand "driven principle and long-term sustainability" for granting projects. "Global standards must be created that can verify the authenticity of digital content, so that we can identify the source of the content and maintain transparency and prevent misuse," said Modi, adding that India will organise an AI Impact Summit next year for improved cooperation between all countries. Modi said at a time when the global community faced uncertainty and challenges, the relevance of Brics was evident. "Global South has many hopes from us. To fulfil them, we must follow the principle of 'Lead by Example'. India is fully committed to working shoulder-to-shoulder with all our partners to achieve our common goals," Modi said. Addressing another session on climate, Modi said that under India's Brics presidency next year, the Indian govt will work to define Brics in a new form. "Brics will mean - Building Resilience and Innovation for Cooperation and Sustainability," he said, adding that for India, climate justice is no alternative but a moral duty. He underscored India's position that without tech transfer and affordable financing for countries in need, climate action will remain confined merely to climate talks.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Under India's presidency, we will work on redefining Brics, says Modi at summit
NEW DELHI: India's presidency of the Brics grouping next year will focus on building resilience and using innovation for sustainability while simultaneously giving priority to the issues of the Global South, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the Brics Summit in Rio de Janeiro on Monday. In this image via PMO on July 7, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends a session during the 17th annual BRICS Summit in Brazil. (PMO) Addressing a session of the summit devoted to the environment and global health, Modi said India will adopt a people-centric approach to redefine Brics and widen the agenda of the grouping, just as it had done while chairing the G20 in 2023. The session was attended by leaders of the 10 member states of Brics, including Brazil, China, Indonesia and South Africa, and representatives of partner countries. 'Under India's Brics chairmanship, we will work on redefining Brics. Brics will mean 'Building Resilience and Innovation for Cooperation and Sustainability',' he said, speaking in Hindi. 'Just as during our presidency, we gave breadth to the G20 and gave priority to issues of the Global South in the agenda, similarly, during our presidency of Brics, we will take this forum forward in the spirit of people-centricity and humanity first.' Modi's remarks came hours after US President Donald Trump threatened to slap additional tariffs on countries that align themselves with the policies of the Brics grouping. There was no official response from the Indian side to Trump's threat made in a social media post. 'Any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy,' Trump said, without specifying which policies he was referring to. The leaders' declaration adopted at the Brics Summit on Sunday had — without directly referring to the US — said indiscriminate and unilateral tariffs are reducing global trade, disrupting supply chains and introducing uncertainty into international trade activities. The declaration had also condemned last month's military strikes against Iran. Modi emphasised the need for collective global action to tackle pressing issues such as sustainable development and climate transition and highlighted the steps taken by India during its G20 presidency to tackle such matters. 'During India's G20 presidency, we had emphasised sustainable development and reducing the North-South gap,' he said pointing to the Green Development Pact and the Green Credits Initiative. 'For India, climate justice is not an option but a moral duty. India believes that without technology transfer and affordable financing to countries in need, climate action will remain limited to climate talks.' Developed countries, Modi said, have a special responsibility in reducing the gap between climate ambition and financing. 'We have to take along all those countries which are facing food, fuel, fertiliser and financial crises due to various stresses…Sustainable and inclusive development of humanity is not possible without any kind of double standards,' he said. Modi said the health of the planet and humans are interconnected and India has increased cooperation with all countries with the motto of 'One Earth, One Health'. He offered to share India's expertise in areas such as the world's largest insurance scheme or Ayushman Bharat and digital health services. 'The Covid pandemic has taught us that viruses do not come with visas and solutions are not chosen based on passports. Common challenges can only be solved through joint efforts,' he said. The Brics leaders' statement on a partnership for elimination of socially determined diseases, issued on Monday, will provide new impetus to strengthen cooperation on health. Dammu Ravi, secretary (economic relations) in the external affairs ministry, told a media briefing that India's presidency of Brics will be an opportunity to press for the reform of global institutions such as the UN Security Council. 'This is what everybody is saying…that [the voice of the] Global South…should be amplified and adequately captured in the multilateral discourse and decision-making,' he said. India's presidency of Brics will also help put the issues of the Global South at the forefront of global discussions, Ravi said. 'We are already thinking about an agenda in terms of sustainability [and] resilience. These are again very important because in a disruptive world today, both in terms of trade…geopolitical tensions, the supply chain disruptions, you need to have resilience [and] sustainability,' he said. 'You will see a momentum and continuity in the way the Brics will evolve in terms of [taking] up the issues of the Global South,' Ravi said.
