India Deepening Its Africa Outreach
India’s bid to further deepen and step up its engagement with Africa can be gauged from the fact that soon after the second Modi government assumed charge, it deputed Minister of State for External Affairs, Mr. V. Muraleedharan, on a 3-day visit to Nigeria. Apart from attending the ‘Democracy Day’ celebration. He interacted with Nigerian leadership, including meeting the President, Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo. He also met some other African leaders attending the event including his counterparts from South Africa, Niger, Ethiopia and Egypt.
This visit is reflective of the close and substantive ties between the two countries, according to India’s external affairs ministry. It added that India-Nigeria ties were elevated to a strategic partnership in 2007 and both sides have strong defence cooperation. Bilateral trade was worth $ 11.76 billion in 2017-18 and Nigeria, which has substantial Indian community, is our largest trading partner in Africa.
India is also Nigeria’s largest trading partner globally and the African nation is the 5th largest supplier of crude oil and 2nd largest supplier of LNG to India. In fact, Nigeria is very important for India’s energy security matters as we import around 12 per cent of our crude requirements from that country. Out of total imports of US $7.65 billion, petroleum products alone accounted for US $7.46 billion in 2016-17. But it’s not just Nigeria, India attaches significant importance to the entire African continent both from strategic and trade points of view as Mr. Muraleedharan’s visit is expected to be followed by the President, Mr. Ram Nath Kovind’s trip to western Africa next month.
In the course of last five years, New Delhi has taken a number of concrete steps to boost the ties between India and African countries. The fact is that between 2014 and 2018, there were 25 high-level bilateral visits from India to that continent proves that.
The Indian government led by Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi, has been focusing on intensifying and deepening India’s engagement with Africa. The next ‘India-Africa Forum Summit’ will take place in New Delhi later this year where about 40 Heads of State or Government are expected to participate.
It may be recalled that the President, Mr. Kovind, the Vice President, Mr. M Venkaiah Naidu and Mr. Modi himself made several trips to about two dozen African countries during the NDA government’s first term. The Africa Forum summit hosted by India in 2015 was attended by 41 Heads of State or Government. Observers say the 55 countries of Africa will have a crucial say in India’s quest to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
It may be noted here that in 2015, India Africa Forum Summit, New Delhi had committed a concessional line of credit of $ 10 billion and $ 600 million in grant assistance. So far, Indian companies have invested over $ 54 billion in Africa and our trade with the continent is now over $ 62 billion which is over 21 per cent more than in the previous year. Africa’s exports to India are growing too. India has already extended 152 lines of credit worth $ 11 billion to 44 African nations for agriculture, infrastructure, public transport, clean energy and irrigation. Over and above that, the government announced last year that 18 new embassies will be opened in the African continent between 2018 and 2021.
With several coastal nations, the ties between the two sides are focusing on harnessing the benefits of ‘blue economy’ in a sustainable way. Besides, the other key areas of mutual interest and benefit are importance of multilateral cooperation with Africa under groupings like Brazil Russia India China & South Africa (BRICS), India Brazil South Africa (IBSA), UN Security Council seats, climate-change talks and World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations. As official from both sides say, the focus now will be on realising the full potential in maritime cooperation between India and the African nations.
This visit is reflective of the close and substantive ties between the two countries, according to India’s external affairs ministry. It added that India-Nigeria ties were elevated to a strategic partnership in 2007 and both sides have strong defence cooperation. Bilateral trade was worth $ 11.76 billion in 2017-18 and Nigeria, which has substantial Indian community, is our largest trading partner in Africa.
India is also Nigeria’s largest trading partner globally and the African nation is the 5th largest supplier of crude oil and 2nd largest supplier of LNG to India. In fact, Nigeria is very important for India’s energy security matters as we import around 12 per cent of our crude requirements from that country. Out of total imports of US $7.65 billion, petroleum products alone accounted for US $7.46 billion in 2016-17. But it’s not just Nigeria, India attaches significant importance to the entire African continent both from strategic and trade points of view as Mr. Muraleedharan’s visit is expected to be followed by the President, Mr. Ram Nath Kovind’s trip to western Africa next month.
In the course of last five years, New Delhi has taken a number of concrete steps to boost the ties between India and African countries. The fact is that between 2014 and 2018, there were 25 high-level bilateral visits from India to that continent proves that.
The Indian government led by Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi, has been focusing on intensifying and deepening India’s engagement with Africa. The next ‘India-Africa Forum Summit’ will take place in New Delhi later this year where about 40 Heads of State or Government are expected to participate.
It may be recalled that the President, Mr. Kovind, the Vice President, Mr. M Venkaiah Naidu and Mr. Modi himself made several trips to about two dozen African countries during the NDA government’s first term. The Africa Forum summit hosted by India in 2015 was attended by 41 Heads of State or Government. Observers say the 55 countries of Africa will have a crucial say in India’s quest to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
It may be noted here that in 2015, India Africa Forum Summit, New Delhi had committed a concessional line of credit of $ 10 billion and $ 600 million in grant assistance. So far, Indian companies have invested over $ 54 billion in Africa and our trade with the continent is now over $ 62 billion which is over 21 per cent more than in the previous year. Africa’s exports to India are growing too. India has already extended 152 lines of credit worth $ 11 billion to 44 African nations for agriculture, infrastructure, public transport, clean energy and irrigation. Over and above that, the government announced last year that 18 new embassies will be opened in the African continent between 2018 and 2021.
With several coastal nations, the ties between the two sides are focusing on harnessing the benefits of ‘blue economy’ in a sustainable way. Besides, the other key areas of mutual interest and benefit are importance of multilateral cooperation with Africa under groupings like Brazil Russia India China & South Africa (BRICS), India Brazil South Africa (IBSA), UN Security Council seats, climate-change talks and World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations. As official from both sides say, the focus now will be on realising the full potential in maritime cooperation between India and the African nations.
Script: Vinit Wahi, Journalist
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