Focus Africa: Why India Needs to Accord High Priority to Relations with World’s Second Biggest Continent

India’s bid to further deepen and stepping up its engagement with Africa will be the top priority of the new government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Between 2014-18, there were 25 high-level bilateral visit from India to Africa — a clear indication of a major build-up in India’s relations with the resource-rich continent.

Sources have confirmed to Financial Express Online, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been focusing on intensifying and deepening our engagement with Africa. The next India-Africa Forum Summit will take place in New Delhi later this year where almost 40 heads of state are expected to participate. ”

India has been reinforcing its relations with Africa in an effort to reclaim lost ground, focussing on lines of credit and capacity building, including skilling the local people. India’s development partnership currently with Africa includes implementation of $ 11 billion worth 180 Lines of Credit in over 40 African countries. In 2015, India Africa Forum Summit, New Delhi had committed a concessional Line of Credit (LOC) of $ 10 billion and $ 600 million in grant assistance.

According to Prof Ajay Dubey, of JNU, “Asia-Africa Growth partnership will be the most important Prime Minister Modi’s agenda. There are several projects including the India-Africa growth corridor projects; energy supply from Africa; Harvesting ocean resources.”

In viewing of the growing Chinese presence, working together with the African nations in keeping the Indian Ocean as free navigation zone and working with African and other power presence in the region up to Djibouti is very critical, Dubey explains.

According to the Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis (IDSA), “The Indian Ocean is a natural bridge connecting India with the African continent. Therefore maritime cooperation is an important aspect of the relationship. This includes maritime surveillance, anti-piracy operations and humanitarian and disaster relief. However, despite these steps, there is still room for realizing the full potential of the partnership.”

With several coastal nations, the relationship between the two sides are increasingly seeking to harness the benefits of Blue Economy in a sustainable manner.

“Issues including the importance of multilateral cooperation with Africa under different groupings like BRICS, IBSA, UN Security Council seats, climate change negotiations, and WTO negotiations will be the focus when leaders of both sides will meet,” Dubey adds.

Last YEAR, the government had announced that 18 new embassies will be opened in the African continent between 2018 and 2021.

So far Indian companies have invested over $ 54 billion in Africa and India’s trade with the continent is now over $ 62 billion, which is over 21 percent more than in the previous year. Africa’s exports to India is growing too.

Source: FE

Image Courtesy: DNAIndia