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• President John Mahama (inset) addressing some Ghanaians at the Ghana High Commission in New Delhi

Prez Mahama interacts with Ghanaians in India

President John Dramani Mahama has asked Ghanaians to keep faith with the government as it works hard to turn the economy round. He said the country was moving in the right direction, with mid-term prospects looking very good.

Addressing Ghanaians studying in India at the Ghana High Commission in New Delhi yesterday, President Mahama said the economy had been robust and growth this year was expected to be above four per cent.

He gave an assurance that the government would maintain strong fiscal discipline even as the nation moved into an election year. The President is in India to attend the third India-Africa Summit which opens on Thursday.

 

He is accompanied by the First Lady, Lordina Mahama; the Foreign Minister, Ms Hanna S. Tetteh, and the Finance Minister, Mr Seth E. Terkper. President Mahama used the opportunity to meet the Ghanaian students to brief them on developments back home and encourage them to study hard.

Infrastructure

President Mahama told his audience that the government was carrying out massive infrastructure development, with the view to improving the lives of the people. Touching on Ghana-India relations, he said they had grown over the years.

He said the government was seeking a collaboration with India to revamp rail transport in Ghana and acknowledged the expertise of India in the railway system and said Ghana would want to tap into it.

The President said he had also held a meeting with the Tata Group of India to see how to improve road transport in Ghana. The Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, advised the students to study hard and return home after their studies to help build the nation.

Activities

Meanwhile, President Mahama is scheduled to hold private bilateral talks with the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, meet with the Chairman and Managing Director of India's EXIM Bank and address an investment and entrepreneurial forum.

He will also grant audience to chief executive officers of a number of leading Indian businesses.

Other Africa leaders are also in the Indian capital for the summit, seen as one of the biggest international meetings hosted by the Indian government.

Aim

The India-Africa Summit is aimed at deepening the spirit of partnership, strengthening international solidarity and expanding cooperation.

India believes that the African Agenda 2063 document, which outlines the continent’s vision for the next five decades, has links with India's own vision and goals about its relations with Africa.

The summit is to set substantially higher targets for development partnership between the two sides. It will also address the key challenges facing Africa, which include food, health and environmental security.

For its part, India hopes to create conditions that will stimulate trade and investment flows between it and African countries. The issue of climate change is also key on the agenda. The two sides are expected to discuss security issues, including maritime security.

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