New Delhi, April 15: Surinder Bhagat has been appointed as India’s next High Commissioner to the Republic of Ghana. A 2007 batch Indian Foreign Service officer, Bhagat will soon assume his duties.
Prior to Bhagat, Manish Gupta served as High Commissioner in Ghana since 2023. The Ministry of External Affairs announced this appointment in a press release.
In recent years, India has significantly enhanced its relationship with Ghana. This was evident when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the capital, Accra, in July 2025, where he held crucial meetings on bilateral relations and signed several agreements.
During his visit, PM Modi was honored with the prestigious ‘Officer of the Order of the Star of Ghana’ award and addressed the Parliament following the bilateral talks. He became the third Indian Prime Minister to visit Ghana, with previous visits by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1957 and P. V. Narasimha Rao in 1995, marking a 30-year gap between visits.
Both PM Modi and President John Mahama engaged in extensive discussions on various issues in both one-on-one and delegation-level formats. They agreed to elevate their relationship to a broader partnership.
There has been a significant Indian presence in Ghana for many years, with approximately 15,000 Indians residing there, of which around 3,000 have acquired Ghanaian citizenship. Some families have lived in Ghana for over 50 years, primarily from the Gujarati and Sindhi communities.
Ghana is one of the countries that expressed solidarity with India following the Pulwama terrorist attack.
India mainly imports gold (70% share), cocoa, and cashews from Ghana. In return, it exports pharmaceuticals, transportation equipment, and agricultural machinery. Indian firms have invested over $2 billion in more than 700 projects in Ghana. The Indian government has also provided over $228.73 million in loan assistance to Ghana, which includes significant projects like the Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT and rural electrification.
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