Ghana for IT, pharma ties with India

New Delhi: Ghana has sought India's cooperation in pharma and information technology sectors and said if both countries come together they can reap immense benefits in minerals and textiles sector.

"Being one of the beneficiaries under African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and allowed to export textiles and clothing to the US duty free, Indian companies who set up shop in Ghana can benefit immensly," Ghana High Commissioner to India Mike Oquaye said.

Similarily, India, which processes 90 per cent of the world's diamonds and is the largest consumer of gold, can benefit from developing links with Ghana, he said.

"At present rough diamonds and gold from Ghana are sent to other countries for processing. If Indian companies can do processing of these minerals both countries can benefit," Oquaye.

Investing in Ghana can open up other African markets for Indian companies, he said.

"As economic ties between India and Ghana deepen they can become a model of south-south cooperation," Oquaye said.

Appreciating New Delhi's help for Regional Centre of Excellence in IT in Ghana, Oquaye said that Indian companies, who are helping financial institutions in his country automate, should also enter hardware sector.

"Hardware is the most visible part of IT and it will help Indian companies register their presence in Ghana," he said.

Oquaye also called for cooperation for deploying Indian IT solutions in education in his country.

He said that most of the basic drigs sold in Ghana were if Indian origin.

The high commissioner said that his country allows most liberal atmosphere for business and the foreign companies can even nogotiate terms with the government.