India and Africa: Relations Beyond Rhetoric

By Ambassador Anil Trigunayat, Former Ambassador of India to Jordan, Libya and Malta

India and Africa have a historic and umbilical relationship. It makes a good talking point during speeches, but it will need an objective assessment of the extent and depth of our engagement to stand scrutiny and inform better policy choices.

It is also a fact that India has consistently, even if occasionally in an ad hoc manner, engaged with African countries. It emerged as a strong voice for their emancipation from the colonial yoke and, from then on, through the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), has stood for and advocated the core concerns of African countries, especially the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), in international fora, be it GATT/WTO, the UN/CHOGM, climate change negotiations and, now, the reform of the UN Security Council.

During its G20 presidency in 2023, India ensured that the African Union (AU) became a permanent member of the G20. This was widely appreciated and earned India an immeasurable affection quotient across Africa.

Besides, through its extensive capacity-building assistance and “Share and Care” approach, India helped the continent significantly in creating skilled manpower, modern institutions and infrastructure, both in the fields of education and defence. Indian teachers and professors were widely respected, especially by those who studied during the 1960s to the 1980s. Unfortunately, this very effective mode of engagement has dried up and needs to be revived.

Several African leaders fondly recall their Indian teachers even after 40 to 50 years. Dozens of military officers trained in India went on to become heads of government and heads of state in their countries.

Thousands of Africans have been trained under the fully funded Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme and have risen to responsible positions. Another important capacity-building effort is the training of about 80 women every year to work on solar panels. They are fondly called “Solar Mamas” because, on returning home, they electrify their communities and at least 50 houses each.

Now, technological competency initiatives in sunrise sectors through centres of excellence, as well as bilateral, regional, sub-regional and trilateral formats with like-minded countries such as France, Japan and the UAE, have been mooted across the economic spectrum.

One of the most important connectivity and capacity-building programmes launched by India, pursuant to the vision of former President APJ Abdul Kalam, was the Pan-Africa e-Network initiative. It focused on telemedicine, tele-education and e-governance, as well as connectivity among heads of state across 48 countries.

The initiative involved five leading Indian universities offering courses and 12 super-speciality hospitals providing consultations and medical education. It was fully funded by the Indian government under the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).

The programme has since been upgraded and expanded under the Modi government under the rubric of e-Vidya Bharati and e-Arogya Bharati. Reportedly, more than 7,000 students have completed their studies through the programme.

Since the 1950s, India has encouraged African students through scholarships for higher education, training and capacity building in Indian institutions. According to estimates, there are currently more than 55,000 students from various African countries in India.

India also has a long history of cooperation in defence capacity building with various African countries and of participating in UN peacekeeping operations, beginning in 1960 in the Congo. Its role has been broadly appreciated, especially in preventing genocide in South Sudan.

Similarly, Indian women police personnel did remarkable work in Liberia, which was rather unique, and President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was full of praise for them.

Currently, India trains a large number of Africans not only in its defence institutions but also in peacekeeping operations and manoeuvring, in addition to conducting counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations. India has established National Defence Colleges in several countries, including Nigeria.

It would also be useful to align India’s engagement with the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), devised by the then Organisation of African Unity (OAU) to deal with African problems such as genocide and ethnic cleansing.

India has also been very active in anti-piracy operations along the East Coast of Africa, especially from Somalia and the Gulf of Aden to the Mozambique Channel, to ensure free lines of trade and communication. The Indian Navy has successfully escorted around 2,500 vessels.

Like the US Africa Command (AFRICOM), New Delhi needs to strategically consider the Gulf of Guinea and other maritime domain awareness initiatives. In the wake of the US-Iran and Israel war and the closure and blockade of choke points, it has become imperative for New Delhi to reorient its energy security efforts in a mutually beneficial manner towards the African continent and secure sea lanes of communication through collaboration and capacity building.

The diaspora also helps greatly in building bridges at the people-to-people level and, in turn, contributes to the growth of bilateral relations, especially in the economic field, as well as through the leadership positions acquired by members of the diaspora as a result of their exposure and experience in particular countries.

India has about three million people of Indian origin across the African continent who are highly successful. The Indian community has begun to integrate with the socio-economic needs of local communities by providing services such as education and medical treatment, as well as creating jobs and employment opportunities.

No wonder the former President of Nigeria stated more than once that “the Indian industrialists are the second biggest employment providers after the federal government in Nigeria”.

The time is ripe to also institutionalise engagement with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while speaking at the Parliament in Kampala in July 2018, outlined his Africa vision through ten guiding principles. These include making Africa one of India’s top priorities and sustaining the momentum of cooperation through regular exchanges; pursuing development partnerships based on African priorities; providing preferential access to Indian markets for African products; assisting Africa in harnessing the digital revolution; improving Africa’s agricultural potential; fighting climate change together; working together to keep oceans and maritime lanes free for all; ensuring that Africa, instead of becoming a theatre of competition, becomes a nursery for its youth; and aspiring and working together for a just, representative and democratic global order.

These are ideal, achievable and collaborative policies that dictate a paradigm shift compared with other big powers that are trying to get into the “gold rush” for exploitation through neo-colonialist approaches.

India-Africa relations have developed into a multifaceted partnership encompassing political engagement, trade and investment, development cooperation, capacity building, healthcare, education, digital connectivity, ICT, AI, defence cooperation, space, critical minerals, food and energy security, renewables and multilateral collaboration.

The 4th India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) was postponed due to the Ebola crisis and needs to be held at the earliest to focus on current issues, challenges and solutions.

India-Africa engagement will be decisive in the emerging world order, as their combined synergies of natural and human resources, capital and human-centred approaches can be aligned for the global good by combining Agenda 2063 and Viksit Bharat 2047.

The partnership focuses on innovation, resilience and inclusive transformation for sustainable development.

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