The third India-Africa Summit, to be held in New Delhi in October, is expected to mark a new phase in India’s relations with Africa. India has some inherent advantages over other world powers courting Africa, but the partnership remains under-developed
In just about two months from now, India will be hosting one of its biggest diplomatic events in recent memory: The India-Africa Forum Summit. The scale of this event is unprecedented, with all 54 African heads of Government having been invited. The last time such a major diplomatic summit was organised by this country was in 1983, when leaders from around the world converged in New Delhi for the seventh meet of the Non Aligned Movement. Later that year, the Commonwealth Heads of Government meet was also held in Delhi and attended by 44 world leaders including Queen Elizabeth.
The October event will be the third meeting of the India-Africa forum. The first was held in 2008 in New Delhi and the second in 2011 in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. Both events were attended by about 14 to 15 African leaders, who had been selected by the African Union to represent the entire continent. Though productive in their own ways, both were generally low-key and didn’t necessarily mark an evolution or development in India’s policy towards Africa. This is where the October summit promises to be different.
Apart from the fact that all African heads have been invited, there is reason enough to hope, especially given the Modi Government’s glamorous foreign policy record, that the summit will indicate a new chapter in India’s ties with Africa, marked by greater and more robust engagement at bilateral and multilateral levels, and across a wide spectrum of fields and industries. That said, it has to be kept in mind that India will be playing catch-up to some extent in its efforts to woo Africa.
Other world powers, particularly China, are far ahead in the race. In fact, China’s big Africa conference, its sixth outreach since 2000, will be held soon after the India meet — and it will be interesting to compare the list of attendees from both events. The EU also has a similar conference and America hosted its first one last year in Washington, DC. Even in terms of real, on-the-field engagement, India isn’t exactly at the top of the pack though it remains well-positioned to be Africa’s partner in a wide variety of fields.
An important factor that India will hope to leverage in its favour during the summit is it historical ties with Africa that go back 2,000 years when commercial ties were first established between traders from the Indian west coast and the African east coast. The sea-borne trade was facilitated by the direction of the monsoon winds and a whole host of items were traded back and forth. In fact, the cotton and silk in which the Egyptian mummies were wrapped are believed to have come from India.
Though not many Indians settled in Africa at this time, some did make their home in the African trading towns of modern day Kenya, Zanzibar, Mozambique and the Comoros Islands, while some Africans made their home in Gujarat. In fact, one of the most famous ancient African traders, Bava Gor, is today worshipped by India’s Siddi community which descended from Africa’s Bantu tribe.
During medieval times, Africans served as soldiers in Indian royal Armies and later, under the British crown, thousands of Indian workers travelled to South Africa, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania to build roads and railways. Some stayed back in their karma bhoomi and their descendents have today emerged become integral part of the African population. More recently, Indians and Africans have worked with each other to overthrow oppressive regimes and fight for freedom and equality in the post-colonial world. Mahatma Gandhi is the most recognisable figure in this regard, but those familiar with Indian and African history know that he is not alone.
Looking ahead, there are some key areas of cooperation that both India and Africa will be looking to build upon. At the top of the list is trade. Though commercial ties have strenghthened significantly in recent years, there is still a lot of ground to be covered. India-Africa trade grew by nearly 32 per cent between 2005 and 2011 (including through the years of the economic crisis). In 2013, India’s overall trade with Africa stood at a promising $70 billion. It is estimated that the India-Africa trade will increase to $90 billion by the end of this year and $200 billion by 2020. That will be a five time increase in just about five years — but that’s not all.
These figures are conservative estimates from Government sources. Industry sources have an even more ambitious target: A $500 billion by 2020! Already, several Indian businesses — and this includes medium-scale enterprises and not just large corporate — have a significant presence in African markets. And their business models, which includes employing locals, have not only brought profits for the Indian economy but also generated jobs and helped improved living standards in African countries.
Strategic Engagement: The importance of east African countries, which are part of the extended Indian Ocean neighbourhood, cannot be undermined. The Modi administration has sought to beef up India’s presence in the Indian Ocean region and is seeking to emerge as a major security provider here. India already has a considerable naval presence in the region and also defence cooperation agreements with Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, South Africa and Tanzania. Here too, India is being challenged by China and it will be interesting to see how Africa section of the India-China détente plays out.
Energy Security: This is one of the most important elements in India’s Africa policy. If India has to continue on its growth trajectory, oil and coal are necessary to fuel the economic engine. India’s energy consumption is expected to rise by at least 3.6 per cent annually, and its energy demand double by 2025, by which time India will be importing 90 per cent of its petroleum needs, according to the International Energy Agency.
Oil-rich Nigeria is already becoming one of India’s largest suppliers while state-run ONGC Videsh has oil exploration ventures in Libya, investments in Sudan’s hydrocarbon sector and offshore drilling plans in the Ivory Coast. Private-player Reliance Industries also has tie-ups with some African nations.
Technology Cooperation: The show-stopper here is the Pan-African e-Network, an Indian project implemented on a continental scale in Africa. Delivered through the African Union, this initiative focuses on tele-medicine and tele-education. The India Africa Science and Technology Initiative is another good example in this sphere.
However, the big story in technology cooperation is shaping up in the private sector. India’s top software services companies have made major investments across the Africa and their market share is growing at an impressive pace. For example, Finacle, the core banking software package developed by Indian technology giant Infosys has a long list of more than 30 African clients. Most Indian companies are currently based out of South Africa but there is also an emerging Indian footprint in fast-growing African economies such as Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria and Ethiopia.
The India-Africa partnership is a natural and equal partnership, built on a civilisational bonding. At the First India Africa Forum Summit in New Delhi in April 2008, this partnership was consolidated; at the second, its values reiterated; at the third, the relationship should be taken to the next level.
This article was published in the op-ed section of The Pioneer on August 20, 2015
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