Editors note: Ankit Prasad is a CGTN biz commentator.
The short article shows the authors views and not always those of CGTN.July 5, 2025 marks the 65th anniversary of China and Ghana establishing diplomatic ties, an event that happened merely days after Ghana became a republic.
Ever since, from the shared simple starts of post-colonial developing nations, the relationship has strengthened and developed into a beacon of stable cooperation, booming trade, and regular exchanges with positive prospects for Asia-Africa cohesiveness.While they may be separated by a vast geographical distance, China and Ghana have actually had people-to-people links since even before their particular republic eras.
Chinese, mainly from Hong Kong, are known to have lived and worked in Ghana because the 1940s, which is impressive if you consider they d have needed to cross a large portion of the width of Asia and then once again the width of Africa - the 2 biggest continents - to get to their destination.Ghana was likewise critical, together with 25 other African nations, in promoting Chinas addition in the United Nations.
As recounted by Ghanaian Ambassador Tong Defa in a current post in the Ghana News Agency, John Kufuor, former president of Ghana, who was acting as deputy foreign minister in 1971, cast a valuable vote in favor of the Resolution 2758, fully showing the unbreakable, enduring, and ever-deepening friendship between China and Ghana.With the political foundation laid in the 1960s, the 1970s and 1980s saw China start its reform and opening-up while Ghana started pro-market programmes.
Ever since, the financial relationship has seen a huge boost, consisting of a number of high-profile investments.
Remarkable amongst these is the splendid National Theatre in Ghanas capital Accra, which was built by China in 1992 as a monument to the 2 countries friendship.
Throughout the same duration, China also assisted Ghana with technical assistance and loans, consisting of a $25 million debt write-down.
Given that the turn of the millennium as the nations pursued the objective of advancement, Chinas assistance to Ghana has escalated, particularly in the infrastructure domain, such as roads, dams, energy and telecommunications.
The Bui dam and hydro-electric task, the very first phase of the National Communication Backbone and E-Government Project, the Ofankor–-- Nsawam road, the workplace complex of Ghanas Ministry of Defence and other tasks were launched, as both nations exchanged presidential check outs.
The Ghanaian government has actually signed multi-billion agreements with the China Development Bank and the China Exim Bank.Bilateral trade likewise grew tremendously, breaking the $2 billion barrier for the very first time in 2010 and then rising to $5.4 billion simply 2 years later.
This accompanied a stellar growth in Chinas continental trade with Africa which rose from $10.6 billion in 2000 to $106.8 billion in 2008.
Cultural and instructional ties have not been left out, with 3 Confucius institutes having actually been established in Ghana up until now and the Chinese government providing Ghanaian students with scholarships.China has stayed Ghanas biggest trading partner for numerous years, with bilateral sell 2024 standing at a record $11.84 billion.
Ghana imports machinery, electronic devices, textiles and building products from China and exports gold, cocoa, oil and other goods.
Ghana is also a member of the Belt and Road Initiative, while events of Chinese cultural heritage such as the Lantern Festival have actually ended up being an annual event.
Significantly, at a time of worldwide uncertainty due to unilateral tariff impositions, China has also used Ghana no percent tariffs on all its exports, as part of a broadened preferential trade policy for 53 African countries.
The announcement, which grants African nations improved access to the vast Chinese market, was made as part of an initiative of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation which is marking its 25th anniversary this year.
Since 2024, China had been Africas biggest trading partner for 16 consecutive years, with last years trade volume striking a record $293.2 billion.The China-Ghana relationship is hence emblematic of Chinas ties with the African continent, whose development is essential to global development.
As is typically said, there is no modernization without African modernization, and there is no higher symbolic support for this than the Chinese foreign ministers 35-year custom of checking out Africa on the first overseas trip of the year.
And at the rate at which financial cooperation is increasing, there is every opportunity that if this is maintained for another 35 years, by the time the China-Ghana relationship turns 100 years old, both nations as well as the Asian and African continents will stride with confidence into a future of development and advancement.