The India-Africa Forum Summit, set to take place in New Delhi on May 31, aims to strengthen economic ties and foster partnerships in key sectors like pharmaceuticals and green energy. This will be preceded by the Senior Officers’ Meeting on May 28 and the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on May 29. The theme of this edition of the Summit is India Africa Strategic Partnership for Innovation, Resilience and Inclusive Transformation (IA-SPIRIT).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing the Parliament in Kampala, Uganda, in June 2018, had laid down ten principles of India-Africa Cooperation. The Summit will be an occasion for African leaders to work with the Indian leadership to further strengthen cooperation in light of these principles. The Summit will cover the entire gamut of inter-State partnerships in political, security, economic, trade, developmental, cultural, and people-to-people relationships.
India-Africa Economic Ties
The development partnership between India and Africa has seen the extension of 190 lines of credit totalling over US$12 billion to 43 African countries. More than 200 projects valued at US$4.5 billion have been completed across diverse sectors, including drinking water supply, agriculture, transport, power, rural electrification, and digital connectivity. India has also supplied equipment, ambulances and radiotherapy machines for cancer treatment as well as disaster relief operations, including food aid, both through lines of credit and grants.
According to the African Development Bank, India’s concessional finance and lines of credit have supported agricultural infrastructure, including sugar mills in Ghana and Ethiopia, cassava plantations in Cameroon, and rice processing units across Central and West Africa. Indian companies are increasingly present in African agriculture, helping advance mechanisation, value addition and agri-processing.
Capacity Building and Healthcare
The supply of medicines, medical equipment and vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic has been one of India’s most significant recent contributions. Under the ‘Vaccine Maitri’ programme, India provided these items to 32 countries in Africa. As noted by the World Health Organization, this has helped to strengthen healthcare systems across the continent.
India’s most enduring and valuable contribution lies in capacity building that prepares Africa for the future. Under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation programme (ITEC), thousands receive training in programmes as varied as nanotechnology, big data, information technology, cybersecurity, auditing, English language, and yoga, among the 200 courses administered by around 100 premier institutes and universities in India.
Some of the key areas of focus for the Summit include:
- Strengthening economic ties and trade relationships
- Fostering partnerships in key sectors like pharmaceuticals and green energy
- Capacity building and healthcare
- Agricultural development and food security
