India focuses on capacity‑building in Africa unlike colonial powers: Report
New Delhi, Aug 7
India's engagement with Africa focuses on capacity‑building rather than resource extraction, a new report has said, highlighting trade, investment and training initiatives that brought about structural transformation, according to a new report.
The report from India Narrative said that India refrains from merely creating "African dependency."
It pointed to India's food grain shipments to African countries facing shortages, medical equipment sent to Africa CDC during health emergencies, artificial limbs fitted for victims of conflict.
More than eighty thousand Africans benefited from scholarship and training programmes in the past decade and became engineers, diplomats, doctors and technicians.
"As Africa recalibrates its place in a changing world order, India's approach to the continent offers a useful, if imperfect, case study in what a genuinely reciprocal partnership can look like," the report noted.
The media house said that India-Africa bilateral trade has climbed to around $93 billion, placing India among the continent's largest trading partners.
Further, Indian investment in Africa exceeds $80 billion, spread across telecoms, energy, pharmaceuticals, agriculture and digital services. These are sectors African governments have prioritised for structural transformation, not merely extraction of raw commodities.
The report noted over 190 lines of credit worth over $10 billion have financed projects from power plants to water systems, and pointed to Indian initiatives such as an IIT campus in Zanzibar and a forensic sciences institute in Uganda as investing in African human capital.
"Too much of Africa's external engagement over the decades has been organised around what can be dug out of the ground and shipped away," the report noted.
It said that Africa's relationship with India built around "telecom towers, generic medicines and digital platforms speaks to a different kind of ambition".
"Africa's demographic weight and India's technological momentum together represent one of the more compelling economic combinations of this century," the report added.
— IANS
Reader Comments
It's refreshing to see a nation engage with Africa on terms of mutual growth rather than the old colonial playbook. The $93 billion trade and 80,000 trained professionals speak volumes. India is setting a new standard for South-South cooperation. Well done!
Good to see our country being acknowledged for the right reasons. From food grains during shortages to medical equipment and artificial limbs for conflict victims – this is humanity first. But let's not just pat ourselves on the back; we need to ensure these projects reach the grassroots and aren't just numbers on a report. Still, proud of the direction! 👏
This is what true leadership looks like. Instead of "digging and shipping away," India is helping Africa stand on its own feet by training their youth and investing in sectors like digital services and pharma. Over 80,000 Africans educated is not a small feat. This partnership has real substance, not just promises. 🌟
Nice article, but let's be a bit honest here. While India's approach is indeed more collaborative, we also import a significant amount of oil and minerals from Africa. It's not entirely philanthropic. However, the capacity building and lines of credit for infrastructure are a welcome departure from the extractive models of the past. Good progress, but more work needed.
As a development economist, I find this case study genuinely fascinating. The scale of India's engagement—$80 billion in investment, 190 lines of credit, and IIT campus in Zanzibar—is impressive. But the real test will be how these investments translate into long-term, sustainable
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.