Accra [Ghana], July 3 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (local time) conferred the national honour of Ghana, Officer of the Order of the Star of Ghana, by its President, John Dramani Mahama, in recognition of his 'distinguished' statesmanship and influential global leadership, Ministry of External Affairs said in an official statement.

Accepting the award on behalf of 1.4 billion Indians, Prime Minister dedicated the honour to the aspirations of the youth of India, its cultural traditions and diversity, and to the historical ties between Ghana and India.

PM Modi also thanked the people and government of Ghana for this special gesture.

Noting that the shared democratic values and traditions of the two countries would continue to nurture the partnership, the Prime Minister stated that the award further deepens the friendship between the two countries and places new responsibility on him to embrace and advance bilateral ties. Prime Minister affirmed he was confident that his historic State Visit to Ghana would impart a new momentum to India-Ghana ties, the MEA statement added.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced India will establish a Skill Development Centre to train youth and support Ghana's 'Feed Ghana' programme as part of a broader plan to strengthen ties between the two countries.

During a joint press briefing with Ghanaian President John Mahama, PM Modi said India would expand cooperation with Ghana in key sectors including agriculture, education, defence, healthcare and digital payments.

'Today, we have decided to double the ITEC and ICCR scholarships for Ghana. Work will be done to establish a Skill Development Centre for vocational education of youth,' PM Modi said.

'In the agricultural sector, we would be happy to cooperate with President Mahama's 'Feed Ghana' programme. Through Jan Aushadhi Kendra, India proposes to provide 'affordable healthcare, reliable care' to the citizens of Ghana. We discussed cooperation in vaccine production,' he added.

The Prime Minister also said that India plans to double trade with Ghana within the next five years and offer its digital payments system, Bharat UPI, to boost financial connectivity.

The Prime Minister also said that India plans to double trade with Ghana within the next five years and offer its digital payments system, Bharat UPI, to boost financial connectivity.

President Mahama earlier in the day welcomed the Indian Prime Minister and said the visit reflected the long-standing friendship between the countries.

'This visit is a testament to the deep-rooted historical ties between Ghana and India founded on the visionary leadership of Ghana's first President Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and India's former Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, as well as the ever-growing bonds of friendship and cooperation that exist between our two sisterly countries for the mutual benefit of our people,' he said.

This is the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ghana in over 30 years. The trip is expected to deepen the India-Ghana partnership and signal New Delhi's continued engagement with Africa and the Global South. (ANI)