Rectitude International Mission to celebrate Indians in Africa Under the auspices of the India High Commission and the Indian Association of Ghana, the Confederation of Governance Assessment Institute [COGAI] in collaboration with Rectitude International Mission [RIM] will host a week-long celebration dubbed; ‘’Ghana-India Festival And Awards Summit 2019’’.

The theme for the festival is: ‘’Indians In Africa – Celebrating Decades Of Impact’’

This festival, according to the Communications Director of the organizing team is long overdue since the warm historic bond between India and Ghana is over hundred years old dating back to Ghana’s first republic during the era of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru of India.

In a Ghana Investment Promotion Council report, Indians are currently one of the biggest vibrant investors in Ghana. For this trend to progress positively with more new huge projects in Ghana, the event organizers plan to institute this festival under the auspices of the “Ministry of Foreign Affairs” in appreciation of the vital roles India has played and continues to play in Ghana’s economy.

The organizer’s objectives for the festival and awards summit are:

* to create a platform for new businesses and partnerships * to explore non-traditional export opportunities * to explore ICT educational opportunities * to experience and share our cultural differences * to explore and initiate Ghana/India film collaborations * to consolidate the already cordial relationship between Ghana and India * to project Ghana/India relations * to appreciate and demonstrate the trust/confidence Ghana has in doing business with India * to recognize and acknowledge distinguished Ghanaian and Indian personalities/organizations

A combination of Ghanaian and Indian executives / personalities and companies will participate in the festival basically meant to strengthen the partnership and solidarity that exist between the two countries and Africa in general.

Notable dignitaries of state from Ghana such as the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, the Minister for Trade and Industry, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Indian High Commissioner to Ghana and other dignitaries from India / Africa will be there as well to grace the occasion.

There will be cultural displays and choreographed contemporary dances at the Ghana-India Co-existence Summit. Great talents and acrobatic skills will be displayed by renowned cultural troupes in Ghana with popular Ghanaian dances to be performed by the country’s celebrated dance troupes from Southern Ghana on the first day. The day's euphoria will be heightened by great performances from the Indian community and different traditional drumming and drum rhythms which communicate important messages on special occasions about unity, bravery and initiation into adulthood, among others.

This music/dance ceremony, together with the Indian performances will make this festival a greatly colourful and memorable one as diverse cultural repertoires will be performed by both countries.

This will be followed by the Trade and Investment Summit, where participating businesses/companies will have the opportunity to exhibit their operations, products, services, interact with the general public and exchange ideas with interested attendants on whichever level they desire. It is expected to be a gathering of great prospects, exhibitors, discoverers and new business deals.

There will be a display of Ghana’s best crafts and artefacts. This will be interspersed with beautiful Ghanaian and Indian music.

At the Ghana-India Educational Fair the following day, much of India’s progress, especially in ICT education will be opened to students and the general public. It is expedient to have the Educational Fair to share ideas on relative developmental interests, specifically in: ICT, general academic exchange programmes, available Indian grants/scholarships for higher or professional studies, opportunities in herbal medicine studies, part-time courses, opportunities in film/theatre studies with possible academic exchange programmes.

It is our aim to create a mutually interactive medium for all participants to access first-hand information as well as facilitate a platform for bibliophiles to choose from a plethora of books across different subjects and areas at the fair.

After the Educational Fair, we will have the ‘Gandhi-Nkrumah Night of Reckoning'.

It will be a night of great discussions and reminisces of ideas, talents, achievements and great feats accomplished by two history-makers and fighters of colonialism. A Ghanaian representative will present a mind-bugling speech about Dr Kwame Nkrumah.

A similar presentation will be made on behalf of Indians to bring into the limelight the flawless life of Mahatma Gandhi in his extraordinary pursuit to deliver Indians from their colonial master, the British.

This will be a remarkably memorable and extraordinary night with the presence of Ministers of State from Ghana and notable personalities from India, including the High Commissioner of India to Ghana, Shri Birender Singh Yadav. A few Indian and Ghanaian songs will be performed live to add colour to this unforgettable and distinguished festival night.

On the third day, the ‘Ghana-India Corporate Family-Fun-Day’ will be characterised by a variety of activities. It is designed for adults, children and generally any other member of the family. There will be a lot of music, food, drinks, competitions and a variety of fun-packed indoor / outdoor activities for children and adults.

On the fourth day, participants will be taken out on the ‘Ghana-India Historical Tour / Sight-Seeing’. It will be scintillating historical tour. Attendants are assured to get the best from the most beautiful tourist sites with picturesque beauty in Ghana. Some of the these sites to be visited will bring into memory some of the heinous experiences our ancestors have gone through and lessons to be drawn from them, especially since Ghana and India seem to have had the same colonial master [the British]. Experiences will be shared and compared with reference to historical facts. This event will leave most participants rejuvenated, relaxed from their regular daunting schedules and enable them to resume their normal duties refreshed and relieved from some stress. There will be police escort to dispatch the touring team from departure to all earmarked destinations and back to Accra.

On the final day of the celebration, the Pan-Africa India Festival and Awards Summit - 2019 will be held to honour Indians, Ghanaians and other African individuals as well as corporate entities who have distinguished themselves.

So far, Indian companies are rated second-highest investors in Ghana. It must be noted, however, that in terms of the number of executed projects, Indians in Ghana deserve to be given accolades and honours of all kinds. For that reason, many Indians and Indian companies will receive prestigious awards in honour and in appreciation of their immense contribution to the development of Ghana. Their continuous support and hard work have gone a long way to empower Ghana’s economy in the field of commerce, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, agriculture and automobile. The success of Ghana’s economy can be attributed to India’s commitment and readiness to do business in Ghana and Africa at large to make here a better place. Members of the Diplomatic Corps, VIP’s and Ghanaian public officials will all be present to witness the occasion.

The night’s serenity will be interspersed with both Indian and Ghanaian music. The event will be climaxed with words of encouragement by the Indian High Commissioner to strengthen the bond and friendship that binds Ghana and India.

However, in the course of the awards, a few minutes will be given to the current Sickle-cell Ambassador [Dr. Konadu Brown] to briefly inform the gathering about preparations towards the sickle-cell free year 2020 projections.