Accra: After completing a two-year duty tour in Ghana, Shri Manish Gupta, India's High Commissioner, is leaving the country with a profound sense of gratitude, achievement, and personal connection. Gupta, who has grown attached to Ghana during his tenure, describes his posting as both a professional milestone and a personal journey where he felt genuinely at home.
According to Ghana Web, Gupta, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, shared insights into his tenure, highlighting the strong learning experiences, expanding partnerships, and deepening people-to-people ties between India and Ghana. His initial priorities were diversifying trade, strengthening bilateral cooperation, and building stronger links between the peoples of both nations. These efforts were rooted in the historic solidarity dating back to the era of Kwame Nkrumah and Jawaharlal Nehru, with an aim to elevate ties into a modern comprehensive partnership.
On the topic of trade and investment, Gupta noted that bilateral trade had experienced significant growth, surpassing five billion US dollars. He attributed this success to Ghana's economic rebound, democratic stability, rule of law, and renewed investor confidence. A notable achievement under his leadership was the direct export of about 25 percent of Ghana's gold to India, which bolstered revenue flows to the Ghanaian government and strengthened bilateral trade links. Additionally, the High Commission actively mobilized over 200 small and medium-scale enterprises to explore opportunities across various sectors including agriculture, health, automotive, energy, power, and construction.
Education and capacity building were also emphasized as key areas of India's contribution to Ghana. Gupta highlighted the expansion of scholarships under the India Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and training slots under the India Technical Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme. Nearly 500 Ghanaians are currently benefiting from Indian scholarship and training programmes, serving as long-term ambassadors of India-Ghana friendship and strengthening bilateral understanding.
Reflecting on his career highlights, Gupta cited the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a significant milestone of his tenure. The visit was a turning point that accelerated bilateral discussions, opened new avenues for cooperation, and strengthened institutional frameworks under a Comprehensive Partnership arrangement. Gupta expressed a wish to have seen the completion of the Tema-Mpakadan railway line project, though he acknowledged that diplomatic work is ongoing, with successors building on existing foundations.