PM Modi Begins Ghana Tour, Congress Reminds Nation of Nehru-Nkrumah Legacy

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on his five-nation diplomatic tour starting with Ghana, the Congress party took the opportunity to revisit a historic chapter in India's foreign relations. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh shared a detailed account of the close ties between Ghana's first President, Kwame Nkrumah, and India's first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

During this eight-day overseas trip, PM Modi is scheduled to visit Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina, Brazil, and Namibia. A significant stop will be the BRICS summit in Brazil. While Modi's visit is focused on strengthening present-day strategic and economic ties, the Congress reminded the public of the strong historical foundation laid decades ago, particularly with Ghana.

Taking to social media, Jairam Ramesh called PM Modi the “Super Premium Frequent Flyer” and reflected on the legacy of Nehru’s diplomacy in Africa. He highlighted that Kwame Nkrumah, a towering figure in African politics during the 1960s, shared a strong bond with Nehru even before Ghana’s independence in 1957. “By the mid-1960s, Nkrumah was not just central to Ghanaian politics, but also a guiding force across Africa,” Ramesh said.

Ramesh recalled that a major road in Ghana's capital Accra is named after Nehru, where India's diplomatic mission—India House—is also located. In return, New Delhi honored Nkrumah by naming a road in its Diplomatic Enclave “Kwame Nkrumah Marg.”

He further elaborated on Nkrumah’s extensive visit to India from December 1958 to January 1959, during which the Ghanaian leader toured various Indian cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Mysore, Pune, and Bangalore. He visited key national institutions such as the Atomic Energy Institute in Trombay, National Physical Laboratory, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Bhakra Nangal Dam, and the National Defense Academy. One tangible result of that visit was India's support in helping Ghana establish its Air Force.

Jairam Ramesh also quoted Nehru’s 1955 speech during the inauguration of the Department of African Studies at Delhi University, in which Nehru emphasized the importance of understanding Africa and condemned the centuries of colonial exploitation it had suffered.

While PM Modi's Ghana visit may be a step toward bolstering India-Africa ties in the 21st century, the Congress’s nostalgic flashback served as a pointed reminder that the roots of that relationship were planted long before—and with great sincerity—during the Nehru era.