Source: TH
Subject: International Relations
Context: India’s renewed diplomatic push towards Africa has triggered debate after experts highlighted the need to “connect, build and revive” India–Africa ties ahead of the next India–Africa Forum Summit (IAFS-IV).
About India Africa Bilateral Relations:
Historical Evolution of India–Africa Ties:
- Civilisational Links: Centuries-old Indian Ocean trade in gold, spices and textiles built deep sociocultural links, reinforced by Gujarati merchant networks and shared experiences of colonial exploitation.
- Political Solidarity: India championed African liberation movements through NAM, supported anti-apartheid struggles, and coordinated decolonisation diplomacy at the UN throughout the Cold War.
- Post-1990s Phase: Economic reforms shifted India’s Africa policy toward investments, ITEC-driven capacity building, and joint positions in WTO, climate negotiations and UN Security Council reform efforts.
- Contemporary Phase (2015–2025): IAFS-III united all 54 African nations; India opened 17 new embassies, scaled digital and development partnerships, and secured AU’s permanent membership in the G20 in 2023.
Key Areas of Cooperation:
- Trade & Investment:
- Growing Economic Ties: India–Africa trade crossed $100 billion (2024–25), making India the continent’s 3rd-largest trading partner, though still far behind China’s $280+ billion trade footprint.
- Indian Investments: India’s cumulative FDI in Africa stands at $75 billion, focusing on telecom, hydrocarbons, pharma, infrastructure and digital services aligned with Africa’s growth priorities.
- Duty-Free Tariff Preference: India’s DFTP scheme grants 98.2% tariff-free access to 38 African LDCs, significantly boosting African exports in textiles, agro-products and minerals.
- Development Partnership:
- Lines of Credit (LoCs): India’s $10 billion LoC commitment supports 189 projects in 42 countries across power generation, irrigation, drinking water, rail connectivity and rural electrification.
- Digital Tele-Education & Tele-Medicine: The e-VBAB platform provides digital classrooms and medical consultations across Africa, reducing learning and healthcare gaps in remote regions.
- Capacity Building:
- Training & Human Capital: 40,000+ Africans trained under ITEC, ICCR and the Pan-African e-Network now serve as ministers, policymakers and entrepreneurs, forming an enduring human bridge.
- IIT-M Zanzibar Campus: India’s first overseas IIT campus in Zanzibar (2023) symbolises co-creation in higher education, offering advanced programmes in data science and AI.
- Maritime & Security Cooperation
- AI-KEYME Naval Exercise: In 2025, India and nine African navies held AI-KEYME, strengthening interoperability in anti-piracy, humanitarian aid and Western Indian Ocean maritime security.
- Peacekeeping Collaboration: India remains a major troop contributor to UN missions in Africa, especially in Congo, Sudan and South Sudan, enhancing its credibility as a security partner.
- Digital & FinTech Partnership:
- Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI): African countries are exploring India’s UPI, Aadhaar-like identity solutions and digital stack to modernise payments, identity verification and public service delivery.
- Energy & Climate Cooperation
- Solar & Green Energy: African nations partner with India under the International Solar Alliance, while collaborations in green hydrogen, EV ecosystems and blue economy corridors gain traction.
Challenges In India–Africa Relations:
- Chinese Dominance: China–Africa trade exceeds $280+ billion and dominates ports, railways, mining and defence sectors, overshadowing India’s relatively smaller economic footprint.
- Slow Execution of Indian Projects: LoC-funded projects face delays due to strict tendering norms, capacity constraints in African agencies and India’s cumbersome bureaucratic processes.
- Loss of Diplomatic Momentum: No IAFS meeting since 2015 has diluted institutional continuity, while Africa increasingly engages with actors offering faster financing and delivery.
- Weak Financial Muscle of Indian Firms: Most Indian private companies lack the deep capital reserves required to match Chinese state-backed mega infrastructure investments.
- Political & Security Volatility: Conflicts in Sudan, Sahel insurgencies and instability in Horn of Africa threaten Indian investments, supply chains and diaspora security.
- Poor Connectivity: Lack of direct shipping lines, air connectivity and digital corridors elevates logistical costs and limits deeper integration in trade and data exchange.
Way Ahead:
- Revive IAFS-IV: Institutionalise IAFS as a regular summit, create a permanent Secretariat and renew political momentum for a unified India–Africa engagement roadmap.
- Build an India–Africa Digital Corridor: Jointly develop DPI architecture—UPI–Afripay linkages, DigiLocker-style document systems and tele-health networks to serve the wider Global South.
- Co-Invest in Strategic Future Sectors: Partner with Namibia/Morocco on green hydrogen, DRC/Zambia on EV battery minerals, and Kenya–Nigeria hubs on digital startups and AI innovation.
- Accelerate LoC Delivery: Establish a single-window LoC monitoring dashboard, fix deadlines, and empower local project execution teams to reduce long-standing implementation delays.
- Strengthen Maritime Security Architecture: Make AI-KEYME annual, enhance Western Indian Ocean coordination, and sign logistics support agreements with Kenya, Mauritius and Tanzania.
- Deepen People-to-People Connect: Double ITEC and ICCR scholarships, expand India-linked institutions like IIT-M Zanzibar, and support African students and entrepreneurs in Indian ecosystems.
Conclusion:
India–Africa ties stand at a pivotal moment, driven by shared demographics, development priorities and a shifting global order. A decade after IAFS-III, the partnership now needs stronger institutions and co-created growth rather than transactional exchanges. If India can connect, build and revive key frameworks, this relationship will anchor the Global South’s rise in the 21st century.
