A New Chapter in India-Africa Ties

Why in news?

Africa Expert Group has released a report titled ‘India-Africa Partnership: Achievements, Challenges and Roadmap 2023’ which enlisted recommendations to deepen and diversify India-Africa ties.

What is the history of India-Africa relationship?

Political Relations – This was started when M.K.Gandhi started his political career during colonization in South Africa.
Diplomatic relations between India and Africa were established during the period of colonialism.
During the wake of cold war many African Countries joined Non-Alignment Movement pioneered by India, Indonesia, Egypt, Ghana and Yugoslavia.
India-Africa Forum Summit is the official platform for the African Indian relations which is held once in every 3 years since 2008.
Economic Relations – India-Africa trade touched $98 billion in FY22–23 which is a positive economic development.
Defence - India-Africa Defence Dialogue was held in the sidelines of DefExpo 2022 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
Gandhinagar Declaration was adopted to enhance cooperation in the fields of training & military exercises
Cultural relations- Project ‘Mausam’ is an initiative of Ministry of Culture which aims to explore the multi-faceted Indian Ocean ‘world’ and promote research on themes related to the study of maritime routes.
About 39 Indian Ocean countries selected for this project which contains African countries like Egypt, Kenya, Sudan, Somalia etc.,
Education and Health -Africa is one of the beneficiaries of India’s flagship capacity building programme – Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC).
As per National Education Policy 2020 guidelines, First IIT Campus to be set outside India is at Zanzibar, Tanzania.
India supplied 'Made in India' COVID vaccines to 42 African countries under “One Earth One Health Mission”.
Technology- Pan-African e-network is a joint effort of India and African Union with an aim to provide satellite connectivity, tele-education, and tele-medicine services to the African countries.

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What are the key findings of the report?

Dynamic Africa- Africa is undergoing significant changes in its demographics, economy, politics, and society.
It is gradually moving towards regional integration and is committed to promoting democracy, peace, and progress.
Incidents like insurgency, ethnic violence, and terrorism is still a challenging issue in Ethiopia, Sudan, and the Central African Republic.
Participation of external partners- China, Russia, the United States, the European Union, Japan, Turkey, and the UAE are actively competing to strengthen their relations with Africa.
They aim to secure market access, energy and mineral resources, and enhance their political and economic influence in the region.
China’s role- It is Africa's largest economic partner since 2000. The report identified China as an infrastructure developer, resource provider, and financier in Africa.
India’s role - The report notes that India has a substantive partnership with Africa and a rich fund of goodwill, but it is essential for New Delhi to review its Africa policy periodically.

India is a member of The African Development Bank, which brings together 54 African countries and 28 non-African partners. India has a voting share of 0.265%, 6.7 times lower than the 1.8% held by China.

What are the recommendations?

Political and diplomatic cooperation- Strengthen the cooperation by restoring periodic leaders’ summits through India-Africa Forum Summit.
Enhance the cooperation between India and African Union by launching a new annual strategic dialogue in 2023.
India should forge AU’s entry in G20 as a full member.
Defence and security cooperation - Enhance cooperation in counter-terrorism, cyber security and emerging technologies.
Expand dialogue on defence issues and widen the footprint of maritime collaboration.
Expand the lines of credit to facilitate defence expenses.
Economic and development- Promote access to finance through the creation of an Africa Growth Fund (AGF).
A special package of measures to improve exports and build cooperation in the shipping domain.
A special focus on promoting trilateral cooperation and deepening science and technology cooperation could pay rich dividends.
Socio- Cultural Cooperation- Greater interaction between universities, think tanks, civil society and media organisations in India and selected African countries.
Set up a National Centre for African Studies to promote engagement in education.
Liberalise visa measures for African students who come to India for higher education.

Roadmap 2030 is a set of nearly 60 policy recommendations to deepen and diversify the India-Africa partnership covering 4 areas.

Quick facts

India- Africa Forum Summit (IAFS)

Aim - To strengthen India’s cooperation with Africa in the Global South.
So far, 3 summits have taken place- 2008, 2011, 2015.
The IAFS has a three-tier platform of the African Union, the eight regional economic communities of Africa and important bilateral participants.
First and third summit was held in India while the second summit was held in Addis Ababa, Egypt.
The first two summits were held under the Banjul formula with the participation of 15 African countries and the AU Commission.
At 3^rd Summit, a massive event for all 54 African countries was held.

African Union

It is a continental body consisting of the 55 member states that make up the countries of the African Continent.
It was officially launched in 2002 as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity.
Agenda 2063 calls for greater collaboration for African led initiatives for the achievement of the aspirations of African people.

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References

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