In the aftermath of Ghana’s 2024 elections which Mr John Mahama and his party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) won decisively, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent the following congratulatory message: “Esteemed Mr Mahama, please accept my sincere congratulations on the occasion of your election as the President of the Republic of Ghana. The Russian-Ghanaian relations have traditionally been of a friendly nature. I believe that your work as the Head of State will contribute to the further development of mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation in various fields. I wish you every success as well as good health and well-being.”
On December 13, 2024, just days after Mr Mahama was declared winner of the presidential election, Mr Putin sent his Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Ghana, H.E. Mr. Sergei Berdnikov, to convey his congratulations to the president-elect of the Republic of Ghana. At that meeting, the parties discussed bilateral cooperation.
Putin’s letter may have been very short but his diplomatic moves hint at what he expects from Mr Mahama’s administration as the two leaders govern their countries according to their separate and common interests – wherever those interests might meet.
History of Ghana-Russia ties
As Mr Putin alluded to in his letter, Ghana and Russia (former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)) are no strangers to each other. The two countries share a history that goes back to the West African country’s dawn of independence.
This history was succinctly narrated by Mr Berdnikov in a speech he read on 12 June 2023 during the Russia Day Reception in Accra, Ghana. The day, a national holiday of the Russian Federation commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR) on 12 June 1990. The passage of this Declaration by the First Congress of People’s Deputies marked the beginning of constitutional reform in the Russian Soviet state (Wikipedia).
Nkrumah and USSR
Ghana and Russia (former USSR) established diplomatic ties some 66 years ago. Commemorating the 65th anniversary of those ties in 2023, which Ambassador Berdnikov described as a “significant milestone,” he provided some historical background that shed light on the “enduring ties” between the two nations.
In the early years of Ghana’s independence, the country’s first President, Kwame Nkrumah, pursued a policy of economic sovereignty. For this purpose, Ghana decided to forge trade and economic relations with the Soviet Union. In the early 1960s, the USSR actively participated in the construction of several industrial facilities in Ghana.
Soviet specialists took part in projecting and constructing fishing enterprises, a refinery, concrete, brick and tile factories, paper mills, cotton factories, and a 200 MW hydroelectric power station on the Black Volta River as well as many others.
By 1966, Ambassador Berdnikov noted that the projects stipulated by the agreements were either operational or near completion: For example, a research nuclear reactor was ready for start-up, and a gold refinery was set to open.
Notably, he recalled that the Soviet Union provided favourable credit terms with low interest rates for these projects, and repayments were initiated only after the enterprises began production and generated their first income.
Nkrumah’s overthrow stifles Ghana-USSR ties
Unfortunately, he bemoaned, a coup d’état took place on February 24, 1966, resulting in the overthrow of Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, effectively curtailing the cooperation between the two countries.
Consequently, Soviet specialists were forced to leave Ghana and bilateral trade dropped to almost zero. Nevertheless, he mentioned that the period from 1961 to 1966 marked a “golden era” in Soviet-Ghanaian relations, characterised by rapid development and a high level of trust.
This kind of partnership, the Ambassador pointed out, enabled the implementation of complex and financially demanding projects within a short timeframe.
Rawlings and the USSR
In 1981, President Jerry Rawlings revitalised a mutually beneficial partnership with the Soviet Union. In December 1982, a new Agreement on technical and economic cooperation was signed with the USSR.
In the late 1980s, several other agreements were concluded such as consular conventions, protocols on the mutual recognition of educational documents and scientific degrees, as well as on political consultations.
The intergovernmental commission on trade, economic, technical, and scientific cooperation was also established.
The fall of the USSR/Revival of Ghana-Russia ties
The collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, however, led to another downturn in Russian-Ghanaian political and economic relations. It was only in the early 2000s that bilateral cooperation began to recover.
It led to the establishment of the Russian-Ghanaian Chamber of Commerce and the Russian-Ghanaian parliamentary group of friendship in 2003, which served as a starting point for the progressive revival of relations at the present stage.
It is worth mentioning that in October 2019, a Ghanaian delegation led by then-President Nana Akufo-Addo participated in the first Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi, where a wide range of issues, including the development of scientific and educational cooperation was discussed.
In particular, the Ghanaian side requested to enlarge the governmental quota for Ghanaian students to study in Russian higher educational institutions on a tuition-free basis, which was subsequently raised in 2022 from 70 to 110 scholarships and later raised again to 120.
In a separate speech at the 2024 Russia Day Reception in Accra on 11 June, Ambassador Berdnikov said more than 1,000 Ghanaians are pursuing bachelor’s, master’s, and specialist’s programmes in Russia, with over 300 of them on a free-of-charge basis.
Ghana-Russia bilateral trade & cooperation
Within the framework of the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, and Technical Cooperation (IGC) established in 2014, there has been promising collaboration in various spheres: trade and investments, economic and industrial cooperation, energy, geology and mineral resources, agriculture as well as science and education.
The bilateral trade between Ghana and Russia, according to the Ambassador, has witnessed growth and diversification in recent years. “Over the past decade, trade volume has steadily increased, with both capitals actively working toward diversifying their economic cooperation. In 2022, the total trade turnover surpassed 220 million US Dollars, showcasing substantial progress made in bilateral relations.”
According to the latest trade report by the Ghana statistical service, the total value of the Russian products imported in 2023 to Ghana exceeded GH₵ 10 billion (over 847 million USD). That brings the bilateral turnover more than four times higher than in the previous years. The Ambassador said such a progress became possible thanks to Russian oil products and grain supply. He noted that in 2023, the Russian Federation secured the 2nd position among exporters of mineral fuels and oils to Ghana. Likewise, Russia ranked second among grain exporters.
The said statistics, noted the Russian Ambassador, “vividly shows what an important role Russia plays in securing Ghana’s food and energy security. And we are ready and looking forward to expand this cooperation in other areas as well.”
Mr Berdnikov also mentioned that in recent times, the availability of energy sources, particularly affordable electricity, is a crucial factor for the growth of any economy, explaining: “In this context, Russia and Ghana possess a solid foundation for establishing a long-term partnership. Particularly, we are looking forward to begin the implementation of the Intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the field of the use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes. The ultra-modern technologies and capabilities possessed by the Russian State Corporation Rosatom, including small modular reactors and floating nuclear power plants, are commended all over the world. Currently 33 nuclear power units are being built by Russian specialists abroad, including in Egypt, China, India and Turkey.”
Such science-driven production, the ambassador indicated, means a constant need for highly qualified professionals, mentioning: “This is another important sphere of interaction between our countries. In this context, I would also like to commend the collaboration between the Jospong Group and the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia, named after Patrice Lumumba. In accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding signed on February 2nd, 2024 the University is ready to allocate annually, for the next 5 years, 100 scholarships for masters’ degree studies within a special quota. This measure will allow the Ghanaian holding to carry out a targeted recruitment of students for the implementation of national projects in agricultural, environmental and engineering areas, followed by their mandatory employment in company’s subordinate structures depending on acquired specialties.”
Russia Complains of Western Propaganda to Ghana
At the same ceremony in Accra at which the Ambassador chronicled the bilateral relations between the two countries, Mr Berdnikov also used the opportunity to condemn the West for their disinformation onslaught and negative press against Russia.
“It’s truly regrettable that today our former allies are implementing a systematic policy of undermining the modern system of international relations. Western countries consider themselves exceptional to return to neocolonial policies based on the “right of the strong”. For this purpose, they are ready to disregard all positive ties we had, including the historical ones. Step by step they distort the truth about the Second World War, because today it is inconvenient. The recent commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the D-Day – the Allied landings in Normandy, to which Russia was not invited, is a vivid proof. Moreover, they physically destroy memorials to the true fighters against Nazism, erase the memory of heroism and noble deeds of liberating soldiers, and justify supporters of Nazy ideology.”
“In this regard, I would like to express our gratitude to Ghana for its consistent support of the UN General Assembly’s resolution on combating the glorification of Nazism and neo-Nazism.”
“In spite of all deliberate obstructions, Russia sees significant potential in developing friendly relations with Africa. We firmly believe that the African continent should not be seen as a stage for confrontation but rather as an emerging global power. Russia is willing both to actively assist in strengthening the existing capacity of African nations and to support the development of a wide range of economic relations with the continent. We do not seek to impose any political conditions or unsolicited guidance. As our Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during his recent tour to African countries: ‘We are friends with those who want to be friends. We never ally with someone against someone else’.”
Regrettably, the Ambassador said, “The strengthening of Russia and building of equal and mutually beneficial interaction with our foreign partners in Africa, Asia and Latin America has caused a deep concern at the West. In particular, partnership based on respect of international law without any neo-colonialist manifestations began to pose a threat to the unipolar world model sponsored by the USA and its allies.”
There is no doubt, he emphasised, that the current UN-centric world system obviously does not suit the Western economies. “Under these unfavourable conditions for them, certain UN members have decided to replace international law and the UN Charter with some “rules-based order”. These mysterious “rules” have never been the subject of transparent international discussions, nor have been laid out for everybody’s attention. It is obvious that they are being made up to counteract the natural processes of the formation of new independent centres of development,” explained the Ambassador.
One of Russia’s main priorities, he pointed out, is to restore faith in effective multilateralism and to work towards a more inclusive, responsive and participatory international governance architecture. To this purpose, Russia advocates the adaptation of the UN and the reform of the Security Council to the new realities. “We recognise that representation of African, Asian and Latin American countries in the Security Council should be increased and the idea of building a multipolar world should prevail.”
“The ongoing transformation of this imbalanced Western model that had long fuelled the economic growth of former colonial powers nowadays comes through a very turbulent and painful process. Unfolding events are accompanied not only with the political pressure of so-called ‘collective West’, but also with a real military opposition to Russia,” Berdnikov highlighted.
Russia Courts Sympathy from Ghana on Ukraine War
The Ambassador insisted United States and their allies, by all means, have been trying to draw Russia into a conflict and to push forward as close as possible to its borders. To this end, he accused the West of kindling the conflict in Ukraine and launching a new type of hybrid war against Russia. In February 2022, he said a special military operation was initiated to protect Russian-speaking people in the country’s historical lands, ensure state security, and neutralise the dangers coming from the Ukrainian regime.
The West, the ambassador insisted, bears sole responsibility for instigating and further escalating the conflict in Ukraine, sacrificing the lives of the Ukrainian people for their own vested interests. “Faced with inability to defeat Russia on the battlefield, the mentors of the Kiev regime have resorted to implementing numerous economic sanctions and engaging in increasingly aggressive informational warfare against Russia.”
“Western media outlets fabricate falsehoods, distort historical facts, assail our cultural heritage, and cast doubts on our contributions to various domains such as art, science, sports, and more. In the overarching atmosphere of Russophobic rhetoric, the West consistently produces inaccurate or false narratives concerning Russia and the ongoing events of the special military operation in Ukraine. A concerted campaign has been unleashed to falsify history, particularly with regards to diminishing our crucial role in the World War II and our extraordinary contribution to the eradication of Nazism.”
“This reprehensible propaganda extends beyond historical revisionism which is being accompanied with the demolition of monuments, memorials, and cemeteries honouring the heroic efforts of the Soviet Union in liberating Europe. This blatant situation vividly illustrates the West’s inclination to forget the lessons of that war, fostering the dangerous notion of their own superiority and political supremacy.”
“The West also seeks to entangle our country in an economic battle. The European Union and the USA have openly declared an all-out economic and trade war against our country, disregarding Russia’s crucial role as a major global supplier of basic agricultural products, including wheat, fodder crops, and fertilizers, particularly in Africa and Middle East.
“To date, the EU and the USA have imposed over a thousand restrictive measures targeting Russian individuals, enterprises, and companies. Western financial and commercial entities, fearful of penalties for violating the sanctions regime, have ceased almost all cooperation and severed ties with Russia. The deliberate obstruction of Russian food products and fertiliser exports to Africa, coupled with the prevention of Russia’s access to the markets of the third countries, exemplify the European Union’s actions.
“Nevertheless, despite numerous attempts to disrupt Russia’s economic ties and undermine our financial system, we stand resilient. Our economic stability and strong balance of payments allow us to overcome difficulties and redirect our trade policy from the West in particular to Africa,” asserted the Ambassador.
So, What Message Is Russia Trying To Send To Ghana?
The signals from Russia can mean only one thing: ‘The West is the devil and we’re the good guys trying to save you from the evil one so be on our side.’ However, Ghana’s new president leads a party whose ‘Dzi wu fie as3m’ (mind your business) foreign policy might not permit him to go pro-Russia against Ukraine. In a geopolitical scenario where siding with Russia, China or North Korea on almost any matter is automatically seen and interpreted as being against the West and vice versa, and considering the economic and geopolitical interests of Ghana, Mr Mahama, at best, would play safe. Despite African countries splitting on the Ukraine war, most of them have urged and keep impressing on Russia to de-escalate the conflict situation. None of these African countries has so far suffered any hiccup in their ties with Russia. That position seems a safe bargain for any African leader who wishes to stay neutral in the whole debacle to keep its relations intact with both the West and Russia.
