Indian govt donates US$1m towards renovation of Flagstaff House
The Indian government has donated US$1 million to the government for
the renovation of the Flagstaff House, an edifice which was financed and
constructed by India.
India’s Minister of State for External Affairs, Mr M.J. Akbar, made
the presentation when he paid a courtesy call on President Nana Addo
Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the Flagstaff House on Tuesday.
The visit was also in connection with the 70th anniversary of India’s independence.
Applauding the policies and programmes being implemented by the
government, Mr Akbar said: “We celebrate also the fact that your
programmes and policies, evidenced in your signature policies about
villages and agriculture, are indicative that you are as close to the
people of your country as you always have.”
Father of democracy
Describing President Nana Akufo-Addo as the Father of Democracy in
Africa, Mr Akbar indicated that the government and the people of India
celebrated the ongoing contributions made by the President to Ghana’s
development.
He noted that in human history, sometimes power distorted the relationship between the powerful and the people.
“But your commitment to the people and your constant search for ways
and means in which you can improve the lives of your people are the
spine around which your government operates,” he added.
Mr Akbar expressed the hope that Ghana and India would build bridges
in the immediate future that would have the strength to transform the
two countries.
Ghana and India
Receiving the Indian Minister, President Nana Akufo-Addo said the synergy between Indian and Ghanaian freedom was deliberate.
“The people who began the struggle for our nation’s freedom were
heavily influenced by events in India.
Indeed, it was exactly 11 days
before August 15 that they met at Saltpond to begin the battle for
Ghanaian freedom, and they did so because they were conscious of what
was taking place in India,” he said.
He said many of the pioneers of Ghana’s independence struggle had
close friendships with many of the leaders of the Indian nationalist
movement.
President Akufo-Addo conveyed the appreciation of the Ghanaian people
to India for the warm relations Ghana had enjoyed with the Indian
people, which, to some extent, was symbolised by the Flagstaff House.
He also applauded the impact being made by the India’s Prime
Minister, Narendra Modi, not just domestically but also on the
international scene, and also the contribution to the development of
Ghana being made by the Indian community resident here.
The President also thanked the government and the people of India for
the $1 million donated for the rehabilitation of the Flagstaff House.
He was hopeful that in the course of his administration and during
the tenure of Prime Minister Modi, Ghana and India would explore further
avenues for economic intercourse and development.
“There is so much our two countries can gain from stepping up the
quality of the value of exchanges between our countries, which currently
stands in the region of $3 billion,” he added.
Source: Graphic.com.gh
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