India-Africa Forum Summit 2026 Curtain Raiser Held in New Delhi

The high-level dialogue brought together African Ambassadors, High Commissioners and other senior diplomats from African Missions, representatives from key Indian ministries, as well as prominent industry leaders and policy experts.

In his welcome remarks, Ethiopia's Charge d'Affaires Molalign Asfaw underscored Ethiopia's enduring role as a steadfast advocate of Pan-Africanism and a diplomatic bridge between Africa and global partners, including India. He highlighted Ethiopia's historic contributions to African unity and multilateral cooperation, noting that its legacy as the diplomatic capital of Africa continues to shape and strengthen collective African engagement on the global stage.

Asfaw emphasised that Ethiopia remains deeply committed to advancing the India-Africa partnership through both bilateral and multilateral platforms, guided by shared values of mutual respect, solidarity, and sustainable development.

Special addresses were delivered by Secretary (Economic Relations), Ministry of External Affairs, Sudhakar Dalela, and Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal, with both reaffirming India's strong commitment to deepening economic ties with Africa, enhancing trade and investment flows, and expanding cooperation across priority sectors such as infrastructure, digital innovation, capacity building, and sustainable development. Both speakers highlighted the importance of Africa as a key partner in India's global engagement strategy and reiterated India's support for Africa's growth aspirations.

ASSOCHAM President Nirmal Kumar Minda emphasised the increasing dynamism of India-Africa economic relations and called for sustained dialogue, private sector engagement, and institutional collaboration to unlock the full potential of this partnership. He noted that platforms such as the India-Africa Dialogue play a critical role in fostering mutual understanding and catalysing actionable outcomes.

The Dialogue reaffirmed the centrality of Ethiopia's diplomatic leadership in promoting Pan-African ideals while strengthening Africa's external partnerships, particularly with India. It also reinforced the shared vision of India and Africa to build a future-oriented partnership anchored in economic cooperation, capacity building, and people-to-people connections.

ASSOCHAM Managing Committee Senior Member and SMC Group Managing Director Subhash C. Aggarwal, and Council Co-Chair and Shree Renuka Sugars Ltd Executive Director Ravi Gupta were also present on the occasion.

- IANS