Prime Minister Narendra Modi on on Wednesday received Ghana’s highest civilian honour, the Officer of the Order of the Star of Ghana, from President John Mahama. He thanked the President and called the award a great honour and a “matter of immense pride”.
“It is a matter of immense pride and honour for me to be conferred with Ghana’s highest honour… I express my deep gratitude to President Mahama, the Government of Ghana and the people of Ghana. I humbly accept this honour on behalf of 1.4 billion Indians,” PM Modi said.
He said he dedicated the award to the youth of both countries.
“I dedicate this award to the aspirations of our youth, their bright future, our rich cultural diversity and traditions and the historic ties between India and Ghana,” he said.
Later PM Modi tweeted,”I thank the people and Government of Ghana for conferring ‘The Officer of the Order of the Star of Ghana’ upon me. This honour is dedicated to the bright future of our youth, their aspirations, our rich cultural diversity and the historical ties between India and Ghana. “
“This honour is also a responsibility, to keep working towards a stronger India-Ghana friendship. India will always stand with the people of Ghana and continue to contribute as a trusted friend and development partner,” he adds
This marks the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ghana in more than three decades. The trip aims to strengthen India-Ghana ties and reaffirm New Delhi’s commitment to Africa and the Global South.
President Mahama welcomed PM Modi and said the visit reflected the long-standing friendship between the countries.
“This visit is a testament to the deep-rooted historical ties between Ghana and India founded on the visionary leadership of Ghana’s first President Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and India’s former Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, as well as the ever-growing bonds of friendship and cooperation that exist between our two sisterly countries for the mutual benefit of our people,” he said.
During a joint press briefing with Ghanaian President John Mahama, PM Modi said India would expand cooperation with Ghana in key sectors including agriculture, education, defence, healthcare and digital payments.
PM also said that India plans to double trade with Ghana within the next five years and offer its digital payments system, Bharat UPI, to boost financial connectivity.
(With inputs from ANI and PTI)
