The President travels from Ethiopia to Russia for bilateral talks with Vladimir Putin, business engagements and two honorary doctorates.
President John Dramani Mahama is in Moscow for the third Russia-Africa Summit, arriving in the Russian capital from Ethiopia, where he had earlier engagements.
The Ghanaian Times reports that the summit is being hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin and brings together heads of state and government from across the African continent.
What the President will do in Moscow
Mr Mahama is scheduled to take part in the Economic and Humanitarian Forum, one of the main side events of the gathering, as well as the summit's plenary sessions where leaders deliver national positions.
He is also due to hold high-level bilateral talks with President Putin. Bilateral talks are closed-door discussions between two governments, usually covering trade, investment, security and diplomatic cooperation.
Beyond the formal sessions, the President will attend a Kente exhibition organised by the Russia-Ghana Parliamentary Forum, a body that links lawmakers from the two countries. The exhibition puts Ghana's best-known traditional textile in front of a Russian audience.
Mr Mahama will additionally meet Russian businesses and state institutions, with the aim of deepening economic cooperation between Accra and Moscow.
Two honorary doctorates
During the visit, the President is set to receive honorary doctorate degrees from two Russian institutions: the Russian University of Transport and the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia.
The Peoples' Friendship University, based in Moscow, has a long history of training students from Africa, Asia and Latin America, and a number of Ghanaian professionals have passed through Russian universities over the decades.
Why this matters
The Russia-Africa Summit is one of several platforms through which major powers court African governments, alongside similar summits convened by China, the European Union, the United States, Japan and Turkey. For Ghana, these meetings are opportunities to seek investment, market access and technical partnerships.
For Ghanaians in the United States watching from afar, the trip is a signal of how Accra is positioning itself diplomatically. Ghana has traditionally pursued a non-aligned foreign policy, maintaining working relationships with Western partners while keeping channels open to Russia, China and other non-Western states.
The outcomes of the Moscow trip, including any agreements reached in the bilateral talks with President Putin, are expected to be communicated after the summit concludes. At the time of reporting, no specific deals or memoranda had been announced.
Mr Mahama's Moscow visit follows his engagements in Ethiopia, the seat of the African Union, where he has previously spoken on the need for African countries to take greater responsibility for their own security arrangements.
