Events

Gold Coast in focus: Belarus strengthens its presence in West Africa

The official visit of the Ghanaian president to Belarus was a logical outcome of the gradual rapprochement between the two countries and at the same time opened a qualitatively new chapter in their cooperation. For the first time in the 34 years of diplomatic relations, the delegations held full-fledged negotiations at the highest level, agreeing on the dynamic development of interaction in many areas, primarily in economy. BelTA’s review looks into the history of relations between Belarus and Ghana developed, the flagship project that the presidents agreed on and the new opportunities for both countries.

From rare contacts to strategic interest

Diplomatic relations between Belarus and Ghana were established on 5 June 1992. Despite the absence of serious political disagreements, contacts remained limited for decades. Cooperation developed mainly through international organizations, individual trade projects, and educational programs for Ghanaian students. This is, in principle, logical given the geographical distance between the countries and the image of the African continent as a terra incognita.

Moreover, in previous years, Belarus was focused on solving completely different issues than establishing itself in African markets. Ghana itself needed to rebuild its life after many years of colonialism, boost its economy, and develop its infrastructure. Now the time has come.

In recent years, Belarus has intensified its work in Africa. It has not limited itself to cooperation with traditional partners, deciding to expand its presence in various parts of the continent. After successful interaction with a number of southern states, Minsk has begun to pay increased attention to West Africa, where Ghana is one of the most stable and fastest-growing countries in the region.

Skeptics will object: Ghana is not a wealthy country. Yes, the poverty rate there is indeed considered high. On the other hand, Ghana’s potential is also great: it is one of the world’s largest leaders in the extraction of gold, cocoa beans, and oil. It is not without reason that it is called the Gold Coast of Africa. It is a perfect match: Belarusian enterprises produce equipment for any need, possess modern agricultural technologies, and manufacture mineral fertilizers. So the starting positions here are quite good.

For Belarus, cooperation with Ghana means access to a market of more than 35 million and the opportunity to further promote its engineering goods in the region. For Ghana, Belarus is of interest as a source of technologies in agriculture, mechanical engineering, and industry.

Diplomatic preparation and Mahama's personal interest

In March 2026, Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxim Ryzhenkov visited Ghana. He also traveled to Togo at that time, and these were the first visits at the level of head of the foreign policy agency in the history of bilateral relations.

“We are developing relations with African countries on the principles of reciprocity. We go where we are welcomed and where we see prospects for our goods,” Maxim Ryzhenkov emphasized following his foreign trip. “For example, on the surface is the issue of agricultural mechanization, which can quite productively address the question of food security in these countries. This is the foundation of sovereignty and independence. Furthermore, we come with our educational technologies, helping train their own specialists.”

When meeting with the Ghanaian president, the head of Belarusian diplomacy conveyed to him greetings from Aleksandr Lukashenko on the upcoming Independence Day and a personal invitation to visit Minsk. John Dramani Mahama, in turn, suggested not delaying the visit and coordinating specific dates through diplomatic channels.

Incidentally, John Dramani Mahama has visited Belarus before. At that time, he did not yet hold the post of head of state, and the trip was of a private nature, which he recalls with particular warmth. “Many years ago, I already understood that Belarus has a great potential for developing ties with the African continent. Two years ago, I visited your country, not yet being president at the time, and was amazed by its high level of development, its high level of science and education. At that moment, I made a vow: if I won the election and became president again, I would definitely come to Belarus on an official visit,” he recalled.

Furthermore, the Ghanaian president owns a Belarusian tractor which he uses on his personal farm. So it is no coincidence that one of his initiatives is to develop a five-year program of agricultural cooperation with Belarus.

In other words, Maxim Ryzhenkov’s visit to Ghana became one of the key steps in building direct contacts with the leadership of this country and preparing a package of future agreements. During the meetings, the prospects for cooperation in agriculture, industry, education, and trade were discussed. In fact, it was then that the foundation was laid for the current presidential visit and the transition of relations to a higher level.

Belarus through the eyes of the president of Ghana

John Dramani Mahama’s visit to Minsk was at the center of attention of the Ghanaian media. The country’s largest media outlets called Belarus an important partner in the modernization of agriculture and industry, emphasizing Belarusian experience in ensuring food security.

“The visit will focus on deepening ties in key sectors, including agriculture, education, trade, and technical cooperation,” the Ghanaian Times wrote.

The president of Ghana arrived for talks with the Belarusian head of state well-prepared and full of impressions, having had the opportunity to personally familiarize himself with the economic potential and natural uniqueness of Brest Oblast the day before. There, he studied Belarusian expertise in dairy production and agricultural processing. For Ghana, which is currently focused on modernizing its agricultural sector, these issues are particularly relevant.

John Dramani Mahama also visited the Brest Fortress, where he paid tribute to the defenders and victims of the Great Patriotic War. Later, he admitted that he was impressed by what he saw at the memorial complex. “I studied history at university and taught history in school. That is why my visit to the Brest Fortress was very interesting. I was impressed. I had read about it in history textbooks before. For me, this was an opportunity to see with my own eyes the fortress that people had heroically defended,” said the president of Ghana.

As part of the visit, John Dramani Mahama visited the life safety education center of the Emergencies Ministry, where he learned about Belarusian approaches to fostering a culture of public safety and training highly qualified specialists. Belarusian rescuers demonstrated their skills in emergency response, after which the president of Ghana tried on a rescuer’s uniform - a true baptism by fire.

Focus on mechanization and food security

But back to the main topic. During the talks at the Palace of Independence, the presidents of Belarus and Ghana primarily discussed projects in trade and economic cooperation, specifically the comprehensive mechanization of Ghana’s agriculture and the strengthening of its food security. The leaders also considered prospects for cooperation in the humanitarian sector, focusing on priority areas such as education and healthcare.

“At the moment, we are trying to figure out where we stand on the African continent, who to rely on and who to cooperate with first. Although we are a technologically advanced country, we are not a giant like China or the United States that can move as a united front and cooperate with all states on the African continent. So we want to find our place on the continent of the future. We would very much like to find our friends and a serious economic foothold on the western coast of this unique natural formation that is the African continent,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said during a one-on-one meeting.

The head of state confirmed Belarus’ readiness to assist Ghana in achieving its food security goals. “You have set yourselves a noble goal, which is to ensure food security through agricultural development and, above all, agricultural mechanization. We are a machine-building country with developed agriculture, and in this regard, we can be of interest to you,” the president said. “If you have the interest, we can significantly help you solve your main task - ensuring Ghana’s food security.”

In turn, Belarus is also interested in goods from Ghana. “If we can serve your interests here in Europe, you can rely on Belarus. We would be interested if you build your own enterprises, joint ventures with Belarusians, on the territory of Belarus,” the Belarusian leader said.

The issues outlined above were discussed in greater detail during expanded talks with the participation of relevant ministers. “I invite our Ghanaian friends to take a closer look right now at the wide range of machinery and equipment that Belarus produces. Our trucks, buses, road-building equipment, municipal vehicles, firefighting trucks, and haul trucks have proven themselves well in Africa and will be in demand for achieving the goals set by Ghana’s leadership to improve social and economic indicators and raise the standard of living of the population,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

The Belarusian leader assured that the tasks the president of Ghana has set for his country can be fully accomplished using Belarusian technologies and specialists. “We are also ready to train your people in these technologies,” he emphasized. “As I have already said, we are open to you. Please, study our experience, if anything proves useful, we will cooperate with you.”

In the presence of the presidents, the parties signed a package of documents that expanded and strengthened the bilateral legal framework in various areas. Belarus and Ghana concluded an agreement to establish a joint committee on trade and economic cooperation. An intergovernmental agreement on visa-free travel for holders of diplomatic and service passports was also signed. The relevant ministries of the two countries signed a memorandum on cooperation in agriculture. In addition, a cooperation agreement was concluded between the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Embassies, a hub, and a flagship project

One of the important political outcomes of the summit meeting was the discussion of opening diplomatic missions. For Belarus, establishing an embassy in Accra would mean strengthening its presence in West Africa. For Ghana, opening a diplomatic mission in Minsk would allow it to more effectively support growing economic projects.

“The president [of Ghana] raised the issue of opening embassies in both countries during our talks. We support such an initiative, but we would very much like our joint intergovernmental committee [on trade and economic cooperation] to begin its work. And for the embassies to carry out corresponding work in furtherance of that effort,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko.

The Belarusian head of state described the comprehensive mechanization of agriculture and the opening of a multibrand center for Belarusian products in Ghana as flagship projects. “We need to quickly create a plan for our cooperation: a kind of roadmap, similar to those we have with other African countries, which would allow us to move forward efficiently. I emphasize: our major interest lies in creating, as the president of Ghana said, an appropriate hub for Belarusian products in West Africa,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

The Belarusian leader also assured that Minsk is ready to contribute to strengthening Ghana’s food security: “We already have such experience, and it shows that these projects will objectively lead to an expansion of partnership in many areas,” he said.

The president paid special attention to the creation of joint ventures both in Belarus and in Ghana. “I am counting very much on fruitful cooperation. Once again, I emphasize: we are ready not only to supply, build, and manufacture machinery, but also to train your people in the technologies that Ghana needs today. No topics are off limits, and this concerns not only agriculture and industrial supplies, but also the defense industry, which the president of Ghana raised during our talks,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed.

Focus on long-term projects 

In turn, President John Dramani Mahama confirmed that Ghana is looking forward to a truly strategic partnership with Belarus and is ready to deepen economic partnership across several areas. In particular, there are plans for cooperation in the mining sector, energy, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and the humanitarian area. For example, a visit by a BelAZ delegation is expected soon to discuss possible joint steps.

Ghana’s economy has traditionally relied on mineral extraction, which is why heavy mining equipment is indeed of practical interest to the country.

However, agriculture remains the top priority. “With Ghana’s potential and the experience and knowledge that the Republic of Belarus possesses, we will be able not only to ensure Ghana’s food security but also to achieve mutually beneficial results for both countries,” John Dramani Mahama is convinced. “We plan not only to increase food production but also to develop a modern sector built on advanced technologies. To achieve these goals, we are seeking opportunities for cooperation and we see them in Belarus.”

Although specific agreements have not yet been disclosed, both sides made it clear that they intend to move beyond trade and focus on production-oriented projects. This was confirmed during the talks between Aleksandr Lukashenko and John Dramani Mahama.

As is customary, the guest invited the host to make a return visit. Moreover, John Dramani Mahama is expecting Aleksandr Lukashenko to visit his own farm.

“Thank you for inviting me to visit your beautiful country and to see you at your home, on the farm. I think we will have plenty to discuss there," the Belarusian leader said to his Ghanaian counterpart.

But first of all, Belarusian specialists and ministry heads will visit Ghana to make concrete proposals not only for signing memorandums but also contracts for cooperation between enterprises of the two countries.

New chapter in bilateral cooperation 

Apart from the visit of the president of Ghana, Minsk also hosted the Belarus-Ghana business forum, which brought together around 100 companies. Such meetings are a good opportunity to establish new business contacts and find reliable partners.

“Our relations with the majority of African countries are based on long-standing political ties. But now the main task is to convert this political potential into added value for bilateral trade and mutual business. It cannot be said that this is an easy market because many countries are interested in it. But our advantage is that we offer not only our machines and vehicles and technologies, but we also build relations on a partnership basis. This point is highly valued by our African partners. If we talk about Ghana, this is complementary cooperation,” emphasized Nikolai Borisevich, Director of the National Center for Export Support of Belarus, at the forum’s opening ceremony.

Thus, for Belarus, Ghana is becoming an important foothold in West Africa and a promising market for the export of machinery, technologies, and educational services. For Ghana, Belarus represents a partner capable of offering expertise in modernizing agriculture, manufacturing, and processing.

The key outcome of the visit was not so much the signing of documents as the political signal: Minsk and Accra intend to transform relations that for more than 30 years remained relatively limited into a full-fledged strategic partnership. This is why both the Belarusian and Ghanaian sides describe the current visit almost identically: as the beginning of a new chapter in the history of bilateral relations.