India-Africa Forum Summits (IAFS)-III

• 3^rd India-Africa Forum Summits (IAFS) concluded in Delhi recently.
• It witnessed the participation of 54 African nations, involving around 40 heads of the African states.
• The IAFS dealt with diverse areas of mutual cooperation, from the global to the continental.
• 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.
• Showing concern about global warming a plea was made to convene a meeting of “solar-rich” countries ahead of the Paris climate summit.
• Matters concerning political and energy security, the fight against terrorism, development cooperation, including trade, investment, education and health-related issues, also figured in discussions.

What India announced for Africa?

• 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 also announced 50,000 scholarships to African students to pursue their studies in India.

India–Africa ties: a brief review

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, has already entered different parts of Africa. India-Africa trade currently stands at $70bn, an unimpressive figure compared to China’s trade figure of roughly $200bn with Africa. Even though India is emerging as a major trading nation with growing investments, it has to contend with other formidable rivals, such as China, Japan and South Korea, in Africa under globalisation. However, deceleration in the Chinese economy may open up a window of opportunity for India to make further inroads in Africa.

By: Vishal