India Africa: Building New Partnerships

Dear Students,

India Africa Forum Summit recently concluded in New Delhi. The India Africa Forum Summit(IAFS) becomes important for interview purpose as well as general awareness purpose. It witnessed new partnership and a beginning of new friendship to the world's one of the least explored nations. India is looking at the bigger picture of growth in africa and it may become successful as the exposure was more in the summit. Now let us read the full story of India Africa Summit.

The India Africa Forum Summit witnessed a large gathering with 54 nations participating out of which 40 head of the states participated. Such an unusually large gathering of delegates strengthened, at least symbolically, the resolve of India and Africa to widen and deepen their partnership at the bilateral as well as continental levels.

Considering the range of issues discussed and the unprecedented scale on which the summit was organised, it appears to have marked a great leap forward in India’s growing engagement with Africa. The IAFS dealt with diverse areas of mutual cooperation, from the global to the continental. At the global level, Indian and African leaders unambiguously flagged the dire need to bring about desired reforms in global institutional governance to make it more representative by inducting India and at least two African states as permanent members at the UN Security Council. Similarly, showing concern about global warming, to which India and Africa contribute the least, a plea was made to convene a meeting of “solar-rich” countries ahead of the Paris climate summit that begins later this month. In addition, matters concerning political and energy security, the fight against terrorism, development cooperation, including trade, investment, education and health-related issues, also figured in discussions.

Key Features/Grants

• In addition to the $7.4 billion concessional credit pledged in 2008, India has announced credit of $10bn over a period of five years
• India will offer grant assistance worth $600 million, which will include $100mn for the India-Africa development fund and $10mn for an India-Africa health fund
• India has announced 50,000 scholarships to African students to pursue their studies in India.
• India will increase its cooperation with Africa on maritime security to counter “terrorism and extremism.”
• "Trade and economic exchanges between India and Africa are a vital component of our all-round relationship with this rising continent. The total trade figure of about $72 billion in 2014-15 - though impressive as it signifies more than ten-fold growth in a decade - is still below its potential considering the size of India and Africa and a combined population of over 2.3 billion people, representing a huge consuming market for all sorts of goods and services," Swaraj said

In fact, the centuries-old ties between India and Africa, especially with countries in eastern and southern Africa, were firmed up due to India’s consistent support to anti-colonial and anti-racist liberation struggles in Africa. India’s towering leaders, such as Gandhi and Nehru, and their ideas on liberation, as well as Afro-Asian unity, had an impact on African leaders like Albert Luthuli, Nelson Mandela, Julius Nyerere, Kenneth Kaunda and Kwame Nkrumah. Once the political battles for liberation in Africa were formally won, economic factors began to dominate India-Africa ties.

After embarking on the course of reforms in 1991, India’s economy has registered remarkable growth with an annual average of over 6 per cent. Strategic mineral commodities, especially oil, became essential for India’s growing and energy-hungry economy. This prompted India to actively forge relationships with resource- and oil-rich countries such as South Africa, Morocco, Egypt, Sudan, Nigeria and Angola. Africa’s key minerals, such as uranium, gas, copper, iron ore, phosphates and platinum, have also been crucial for India’s growth. Likewise, India’s technology, suitable for tropical conditions, and investment are required in Africa for developmental purposes. Indian capital, private as well as public sector, has already entered different parts of Africa. However, deceleration in the Chinese economy may open up a window of opportunity for India to make further inroads in Africa.

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