Accra (Ghana), Oct 7: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has received Ghana’s “Instrument of Acceptance” for the India-led International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), formally making the West African country a member of the alliance.
Jaishankar was in Ghana on the first leg of his three-nation tour to African countries, from where he left for Cote d’Ivoire on Wednesday. The tour also includes a visit to Ethiopia.
Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa handed over the instrument to Jaishankar during their bilateral engagements earlier on Wednesday.
Jaishankar said in a post on X that he had received the “Instrument of Acceptance” from the Ghanaian foreign minister for the International Big Cat Alliance, as he shared a video clip and a photograph with his Ghanaian counterpart.
The IBCA is a treaty-based intergovernmental international organisation focused on the conservation of seven big cat species — tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, cheetah, jaguar and puma — and their habitats.
The alliance was launched by India on April 9, 2023, during an event marking the 50th anniversary of Project Tiger. It seeks to facilitate cooperation among countries and other stakeholders and promote the sharing of conservation practices, expertise and technical know-how for big-cat conservation. (PTI)
