External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar successfully completed his five-day visit to three African countries - Ghana, Ethiopia, and Côte d'Ivoire - on Tuesday (October 10, 2026), marking the conclusion of his diplomatic mission to strengthen India's trade and economic partnerships. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the visit reflected India's commitment to deepen partnership with Africa and bolster solidarity with the Global South. The minister held bilateral meetings with respective counterparts and met leadership across all three nations to evaluate existing close ties characterised by friendship and cooperation.
The discussions covered multiple sectors including pharmaceutical development, agricultural mechanisation and value addition, industrialisation and job creation, scholarships and information technology partnerships. As reported by the MEA, Jaishankar also discussed the impact of West Asian and Russia-Ukraine conflicts on food, fuel, fertilisers and finance, commonly referred to as the '4F' challenges. Ghana's foreign minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa confirmed that cooperation in the pharmaceutical sector will operate within the framework of Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama's Accra Reset policy. The visit also saw Jaishankar exchange perspectives on regional and global matters of mutual interest with his counterparts. According to the latest reports, discussions will cover the whole gamut of bilateral ties across sectors, including trade and economic, development cooperation, capacity building, and people to people ties.
Ghana represents a significant trading relationship for India, with the country being among the top trading partners and the largest destination for Ghanaian exports. According to reports, Ghana maintains a positive trade balance with India, primarily due to huge imports of gold by India which accounts for over 70 per cent of total imports from Ghana. From Côte d'Ivoire, India imports cashews, natural rubber, cotton, and teak wood, while from Ethiopia, India imports pulses, flax yarn, precious and semiprecious stones, vegetables, lead articles, oil seeds, spices and leather. There are several Indian companies operating in Ethiopia, with many Ethiopian companies engaging Indian workers.
In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Jaishankar successfully chaired the Regional Heads of Mission Conference as scheduled, with the meeting attended by Indian envoys in the region. As reported by the MEA, Ghana is looking to expand the country's access to markets under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The visit came months after India postponed the fourth India-Africa Summit, which was scheduled for May due to evolving public health situations in parts of Africa. During the visit, Jaishankar held bilateral talks with his counterparts and met the leadership of all three nations to review their close bilateral ties of friendship and cooperation. During a transit stop in Addis Ababa, EAM Jaishankar also met Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, who serves as the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, sharing the encounter online on X platform.
