<<Print>>

Mr. Rajinder Bhagat, the new Indian High Commissioner to Ghana, has observed that Ghana�s booming economy and leadership in democratic governance could help transform the nation into a hub of business and commerce in the west African sub-region and stressed that his government is stepping up its bilateral cooperation on all fronts to assist Ghana achieve this vision. In pursuance of this, Mr. Bhagat said, a number of Indian business delegations have started touring Ghana to explore business opportunities -- particularly in the area of establishing plantations in the agric sector, agro-processing plants, and the real-estate industry. Mr. Bhagat announced that the Indian government will also increase its technical training programme from 125 to 150 Ghanaians in the current year, and explained that the Indian government could help develop the capacity of personnel from the Land administration project under the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources under this facility. He made the disclosure during a courtesy call on Mr. Mike Hammah, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources. The call afforded the newly-posted Ambassador the opportunity to introduce himself to the Sector Minister and explore possible areas of cooperation between India and Ghana. Welcoming the High Commissioner, Mr. Hammah called for strengthening the long-standing relations in the mutual benefit of the two countries, and expressed hope that Ghana could tap the experiences and lessons from the India�s recent impressive growth to boost its development effort. The Minister briefed the High Commissioner on modes of acquiring land in Ghana for industrial purposes, and assured the Indian envoy that the Ministry will provide the requisite assistance to Indian investors interested in acquiring land for their businesses in Ghana. Recounting the history of land administration in Ghana, he explained that the Land Administration Project has strengthened institutional capacity of the Lands Commission and helped to stem the numerous conflicts between various traditional areas through demarcation of customary boundaries. Prior to his posting to Ghana in December 2011, High Commissioner Bhagat served in the Indian Missions of Damascus, Jeddah/Riyadh, Mexico City, Sana�a, The Hague, Port of Spain, Doha and in the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi in various capacities, as well as High Commissioner of India to Mozambique and Swaziland. He also held the post of Head of the West Africa Division in the Ministry.