India-Africa Partnership: Achievements, Challenges and Roadmap

(MainsGS2:Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.)

Context:

India’s rise as a global player is inevitably linked to the kind of partnership it enjoys with Africa.
In the past 15 years and especially since 2014, India-Africa relations have developed steadily but more progress is achievable.

Transitional unfolding:

Africa sees the transitions unfolding as its demographic, economic, political and social system witness changes.
From this blend of changes, stamped by the adverse impact of the pandemic and complicated geopolitics, emerges a continent that is set to transform itself.
It is slowly heading toward regional integration and is devoted to democracy, peace and progress, even as Ethiopia, Sudan, the Central African Republic and other countries continue to battle with the challenges posed by insurgency, ethnic violence and terrorism.

Presence of China:

The competition among at least half a dozen external partners such as China, Russia, the United States, the European Union, Japan, Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates going on for strengthening their relations with parts of Africa to ensure market access, gain energy and mineral security, and increase political and economic influence.
China stands apart, armed with a consistent and robust policy since 2000 to become virtually Africa’s biggest economic partner.
It has invested enormously in Africa in terms of money, materials and diplomatic push.

Deepen and diversify the India-Africa partnership:

Diplomatic cooperation:

The political and diplomatic cooperation should be strengthened by restoring periodic leaders’ summits through the medium of the India-Africa Forum Summit; the last summit was in 2015.
Besides, a new annual strategic dialogue between the chairperson of the African Union (AU) and India’s External Affairs Minister should be launched in 2023.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) should have a secretary exclusively in charge of African affairs to further enhance the implementation and impact of the Africa policy.

Defence and security:

On defence and security cooperation, the government needs to increase the number of defence attachés deployed in Africa, expand dialogue on defence issues, widen the footprint of maritime collaboration, and expand lines of credit to facilitate defence exports.
More can be done to increase the number of defence training slots and enhance cooperation in counter-terrorism, cyber security and emerging technologies.

Economic and development cooperation:

India-Africa trade touching $98 billion in FY22–23 is an encouraging development.
This figure can go up if access to finance through the creation of an Africa Growth Fund (AGF) is ensured.
A special package of measures to improve project exports and build up cooperation in the shipping domain has been suggested.
A special focus on promoting trilateral cooperation and deepening science and technology cooperation could pay rich dividends.

Socio-cultural cooperation:

Socio-cultural cooperation should be increased through greater interaction between universities, think tanks, civil society and media organisations in India and select African countries.
Setting up a National Centre for African Studies will be the right step. Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) and Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) scholarships awarded to Africans should be named after famous African figures.
Visa measures for African students who come to India for higher education should be liberalised. They should also be given work visas for short periods.

Conclusion:

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, stay resilient by making the required changes, and place a razor-like focus on its implementation”.