Pranab Mukherjee has became the First Indian President to Visit Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire and became the second Indian President to visit Namibia after a gap of 21 years
Focus: India’s Commitment with African nations on priority basis
Representation in the UN Security Council
President urged the African continent must be represented in the UN Security Council in order to avail the reforms of the United Nations as well as UN Security Council
Highlights of the Visit:
- Agreed to enhance the bilateral trade at value of 5 billion USD by 2020
- Offered floral tributes at the Mausoleum of Ghana’s Founder and Father of the Nation, Kwame Nkrumah and he also responsible for formation of Non Aligned Movement with then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru
- Opened a bust of Mahatma Gandhi in the University of Ghana and conferred a Joint Business Forum to highlight ‘Brand India’
- Leaders of Ghana expressed their keen to deepen the cooperation in the areas of civil Nuclear energy, renewable energy, SME Sector, Railways and Sustainable Agriculture
- Enhance scholarship in ITEC slots from 250 to 300 and ICCR scholarships from 16 to 40 and announced of 1 million USD for the India – Ghana Kofi Annan Centre for IT excellence
- Indian President has been conferred with the highest national honour of the Grande Croix Commandeur by Cote d’Ivoire Country
- The Agreements were approved between CII & CEPICI and Tata Motors & SUTRA for supply of 500 buses
Ghana
India and Ghana signed three agreements
India and Ghana signed three bilateral agreements to tighten co-operation in various fields
i. Visa Waivers for holders of diplomatic and official passports
ii. Setting up a Joint Commission
iii. Nuclear cooperation
India and Ghana agreed for civil nuclear cooperation
India and Ghana singed agreement for cooperation in civil nuclear energy.
Cote d’Ivoire
President Pranab Mukherjee receives Highest Civilian Award of Ivory Coast
President Pranab Mukherjee was conferred with the highest civilian award of IvoryCoast, the National Grand Crois (the National Order of the Republic of Ivory Coast), The award was given during his two days visit to the West African nation
ii. During the visit Mukherjee held one-to-one dialogue with his counterpart Alassane Ouattara which was followed by delegation level talks. He is the first Indian President to visit the nation.
iii. It is highest state order of knighthood of the Ivory Coast to celebrate the independence from France in 1960.
iv. This is bestowed to those who have highly distinguished themselves to the service to the state. The Collar, one of the five grades of the award is awarded solely to foreign heads of state.
EXIM Bank inaugurated representative office in Abidjan
Export and Import Bank of India inaugurated a representative office at Abidjan on June 14th 2016 to encourage interests among various countries in the African Continent
Signed by:
EXIM Bank Chairman and Managing Director Yaduvendra Mathur
Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdallah Albert Toikeusse Mabri on behalf of the Government of Cote d’Ivoire
Features of Representative Office:
- To encourage the interest in countries namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameron, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo
- Exim Bank’s office in Abidjan is the eighth overseas regional office
India’s EXIM bank to provide loan of $176.3 million to Ivory Coast
Export-Import Bank decided to award $176.3 million loan to Ivory Coast to enhance public works initiatives, including projects in construction and Information technology
Ivory Coast’s Prime Minister: Daniel Kablan Duncan.
Namibia
India, Namibia signed two MoUs on capacity building for civil servants, centre of excellence in ICT
- Setting up Building for civil servants of Namibia
- Creating centre of Excellence ICT
India has gifted various grant in aids to Namibia:
- 1000 tonnes of rice for drought hit people
- 100 tonnes of medicine, including ARvs
- USD 20000 for Indira Gandhi Maternity Clinic
- Increase in ITEC scholarships from less than 100 to 200
- Assistance in Solar Power projects
Namibia assured Uranium supply to India
- Namibia gave assurance to supply the Uranium legally to use the nuclear energy peacefully
- President of India expressed that Namibia is embedded with rich natural resources and mineral wealth. India always tied with Namibia
- In Namibia the Indian President called for increased parliamentary exchanges between the two countries.
- India has signed with Australia, Sri lanka, Argentina, Russia, Japan, Canada, South Korea, France for the supply of Nuclear deal.
Namibian President: Hage Geingob