- deep civilizational ties, common strugglgles against colonialism, vision of equitable growth
- partnership spans trade, edu, health, energy
- Nelson Mandela: 2 regions are bonded by shared experience & cultural affinity
Significance of Africa
- demographics: africa’s young population & rising mid class == trade & investment opportunities
- Medical tourism: 21.2% indian medical tourists in 2023 were African
- Investment potential: agri processing, pharma, textiles, automotive components
- 25K african students study in India
- minerals - gold, platinum, diamond, forestry products
Areas of cooperation
- trade & investment: $98B in indian investments
- infra: transport, telecom, energy support by india
- capacity building: Indian Technical & Economic Cooperation Programme (ITEC), e-VidyaBharti, e-ArogyaBharti
- Agri: shared practices, tech via Agri Cooperation Plan & Food Processing Summit
- Health: generics for HIV, TB, Malaria; pharma collab
- Renewables: Intl. Solar Alliance, solar/wind tech transfer
- Cultural education: scholarships, exchange programs, cultural festivals
- scalable solutions: shared tech for solar, housing, digital access
Key initiatives
- Pan African e-Network, ITEC, e-VBAB
- India Africa Forum Summit revival
- Africa in G20: TODO seacrh more
- AAGC w/ Japan 2017
China vs India in Africa
| Aspect | China | India |
|---|
| Investment | state backed large scale infra loans | private led w/ focus on capacity building & sustainable aid |
| Debt trap | loans raising debt sustainability concerns | emphasizes grants & concessional LoC |
| Geopolitical role | military bases, UN Peacekeeping, port access | Peackeeping, multilateral cooperation, democratpic partnerishp |
| Resource acquisition | heavy focus on oil, mining, forests | Selective resource engagement, esp in critical minerals |
| governance approach | Non conditional aid, low emhpasis on human rights | emphasizes good governance & democratic values |
Challenges
- geopolitical rivalry: india competes w/ China, USA, Russia, EU for space in Africa
- China’s Lead: infra, diplomacy, financial muscle
- lack of clear africa policy, no consolidated roadmap
- strategic drift: focus towards indo pacific, QUAD, EU engagements
- Racial incidents: affects public perception & diplomatic goodwill
Instability in Africa & implications
- unrest zones: Ethiopia, Nigeria, Sudan, Mozambique, DRC
- implications:
- resource risks: disrupts cobalt, crititical minerals essential for tech
- peacekeeping presure: indian troops in DRC at risk
- strategic edge to china
Way forward
- political engagement: revive regular India Africa summits
- appoint secretary for Africa in MEA
- Defence & maritime: increase attache, LoC for defence exports, maritime security partnership
- economic partnership: create Africa Growth Fund
- Socio cultural diplomacy: Set up African Studies center, rename scholarships after african icons
- Implementation mechanism: operationalize Roadmap 2030
- PM’s 10 Principles via MEA-NSCS coordination