Ghana is strengthening its partnership with Russia’s leading scientific institutions as the government steps up efforts to end the export of raw materials by 2030 and accelerate industrialisation through value addition.

The move follows discussions between Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Professor Irina Olegovna Abramova, Director of the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, during the minister’s visit to the institution in Russia.

Ablakwa said Ghana and the Russian Academy of Sciences had agreed to work together to support President John Dramani Mahama’s industrialisation vision, particularly the country’s objective of processing its natural resources locally rather than exporting them in their raw form.

He said the partnership would focus on supporting Ghana’s transition towards an economy that produces and exports higher-value goods, with industrialisation and value addition at the centre of the collaboration.

The initiative is intended to strengthen Ghana’s capacity to retain more value from its natural resources, create jobs and expand domestic economic activity.

Ablakwa said the collaboration would not be limited to industrialisation.

He disclosed that Ghana and the Russian Academy of Sciences had also agreed to cooperate on research into reparatory justice, while creating opportunities for Ghanaian and Russian scholars through PhD scholarships.

The foreign affairs minister described his engagement with Professor Abramova and the institute as significant, highlighting the institution’s longstanding scholarly interest in Ghana and Africa.

He noted that Ghana is the only African country whose literary works of two presidents — Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah and President John Dramani Mahama — have been translated into Russian by the Russian Academy of Sciences.

According to Ablakwa, the translated works have become bestsellers in Russia, underscoring the depth of the country’s academic and intellectual interest in Ghana’s history and political thought.

He expressed appreciation to Professor Abramova and her colleagues for their hospitality and for what he described as intellectually stimulating discussions during the visit.

Ablakwa also congratulated the Institute for African Studies on its longstanding contribution to scholarship on the continent, noting that its academic engagement with Africa dates back to 1959.

The latest agreement forms part of Ghana’s efforts to build strategic international partnerships around knowledge, technology, research and expertise as the country seeks to move away from dependence on the export of unprocessed natural resources.

The government’s 2030 target is aimed at driving greater domestic processing and value creation, allowing Ghana to capture a larger share of the economic benefits generated from its natural resources.

The partnership with the Russian Academy of Sciences is therefore expected to provide an additional platform for Ghana to draw on international expertise as it pursues industrialisation, value addition and a more productive domestic economy.