The India Show, a global initiative of the Government of India, which
takes Indian industry across the world for deeper engagement with their
counterparts, was yesterday, launched in Accra.
The key components of the show include India-West Africa business
conference, India exhibition, business to business meetings, cultural
extravaganza and the India food festival.
Another interesting feature of the show will be the participation of
the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO)— the research arm
of the Ministry of Defence of the Government of India— which will be
showcasing its innovations that have civilian application and
particularly in areas where there is suitability for the African
sub-continent. Innovative technologies related to food, medical
(diagnostic and therapeutic), disaster management, clean
energy/environment will also be available for discussion at DRDO booths
in the exhibition.
The three-day industry exhibition and
conference, which is scheduled to be held from the 9th to the 11th of
July 2012, is being organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of
Commerce & Industry (FICCI)— the apex Chamber of Commerce in India—
with support from the Ministry of Commerce & Industry and the
Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, and in partnership
with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as well as
counterpart Chambers of Commerce & Industry from West Africa.
In an address to launch the event, the
High Commissioner of India to Ghana, H.E. Mr Rajinder Bhagat, said one
of the objectives of the Indian Show was to exhibit the products of
Indian companies and their capabilities, expand business activities and
promote investment in Ghana, and, thereby, strengthen bilateral ties
between the two countries.
Mr Bhagat disclosed that India and Ghana
had signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the setting up of a
gas-based Fertilizer Plant at an estimated cost of approximately US$1.2
billion while a draft agreement for the setting up of a Joint Venture
Company was in an advanced stage of discussion.
In a presentation, Mr Vivekanand
Kodikal, Regional Director (Trade Fair) of the FICCI said the India Show
epitomised sincere efforts of the Indian government and industry to
move forward the agenda of South-South Co-operation.
Mr Kodikal said as a part of the
business forum there would be an India-West Africa Investment roundtable
where investment agencies from across West Africa would be making
presentations on the investment opportunities in their respective
countries.
He, therefore, invited Ghana Investment
Promotion Centre to join this roundtable and help promote upcoming
projects and investments in Ghana. “This is a sharing platform where we
are looking for long term partnerships and therefore while trade in
terms of imports and exports will be an important component we are
laying lot of focus on sharing technologies and making investments as
that is the way forward in empowering the private sector”, Mr Kodikal
added.
Ghana’s Minister for Trade, Industry
& Private Sector Development, Hon. Hanna Tetteh, in her remarks, was
optimistic that the India Show would boost business activities and
strengthen the already thriving relations between Ghana and India.
India and Ghana have a long history of
friendship and co-operation, the strong foundations having been laid by
India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Ghana’s first
President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
India has been a participant in Ghana’
development efforts in the spirit of South-South Co-operation and
supported the building of the India-Ghana Kofi Annan Centre of
Excellence in ICT (KAICT) as well as Ghana’s rural electrification,
agricultural development and agro-processing.
India has also contributed to Ghana’s
human resource development and capacity building through the training of
personnel under the Indian Technical and Economic Co-operation (ITEC)
Programme.
So far, 1,350 Ghanaians have been
trained under the programme while more than 70 Ghanaians have been
nominated for courses under the ITEC/SCAAP and IAFS Scheme.
In 2010-2011, India’s import from Ghana
amounted to US$159.75 million while her exports to Ghana stood at
US$658.35 million, with the total trade between Ghana and India working
out to US$818.10 million, representing a growth of 52.2 per cent.
India’s exports to Ghana consist mainly
of drugs and pharmaceuticals, machinery and instruments transport
vehicles, chemicals, plastics and electronic equipment, while imports
are made up of fruits and nuts, wood and wood products, and precious and
semi-precious stones.
Source : ghana.gov.gh