'Terrorism must be eradicated by collective efforts of civilised world'

In his address at the banquet hosted by Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama on Sunday, Mukherjee, who arrived here on a two-day visit, said India has been a victim of terrorism for three decades and shares Ghana's concern that it has become a global menace.

"It is a scourge and knows no borders; it has no ideology except the ideology of wanton destruction. It must be eradicated through the collective efforts of the civilised world. India is in solidarity with you as you confront this challenge," he said.

While Mahama quoted Mahatma Gandhi and recalled the bond shared between Ghana's first President Kwame Nkrumah and India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, both founding fathers of Non-Aligned Movement, Mukherjee quoted a poem of Rabindranath Tagore titled 'Africa' in his address.

"Today the world order demands global governance structures that are consistent with the new challenges that confront the global community. It is a serious anomaly that India, home to every sixth citizen of the world and Africa, a vibrant hub of the global economy, still remain out of UN Security Council," Mukherjee said.

On increasing investments by Indian companies in Ghana, the President said Indian business groups understand the potential and would be happy to invest if the right opportunities are given to them.

"The people of India fondly remember Dr Kwame Nkrumah, a great son of Ghana and a visionary leader of pan-Africanism. He embodied Africa's dignity, and inspired the peoples and the governments of African countries to claim their rightful place in global affairs," he said.