President Jacob Zuma has congratulated Ghana ahead of its 60th independence anniversary on Monday, the presidency said.

Zuma spoke to Ghanaian President Nana Addo Akufo-Addo by telephone on Sunday and congratulated Akufo-Addo on the “milestone occasion”, the presidency said in a statement.

Zuma had stated that South Africa and Ghana had enjoyed close historical ties of solidarity dating back to the period of the country’s struggles for freedom and independence. As the pioneer of the decolonisation process on the African continent, Ghana served as an inspiration for South Africa.

“In his famous speech in 1957, Kwame Nkrumah indicated that the independence of Ghana would be meaningless unless it was linked to the total liberation of Africa,” the statement said.

Zuma was unable to attend the celebrations in Accra as he was currently in Indonesia where he would attend the 20th anniversary of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), an organisation of 21 countries located alongside the Indian Ocean, and also undertake a state visit.

“South Africa and Ghana share strong democratic values and have played a critical role in peaceful resolution of conflicts in Africa. In this regard, the two presidents agreed to continue to co-operate in promoting democracy, good governance, and human rights on the continent and the world at large,” the presidency said.