India Gears Up for Mega Africa Summit After Decade-Long Hiatus

The fourth edition will take place at the end of this month, since the third edition of the summit was held in the national capital in October 2015.

The upcoming summit is expected to underline India's expanding strategic, economic and developmental engagement with the African continent.

Ahead of the main summit, a meeting of foreign ministers from India and African countries will be held on May 29, with a number of various other events planned.

Government sources said invitations have been sent to all African nations, including heads of state and government, and discussions are underway on the outcome documents.

"We have invited all countries. We will have good participation. Outcome documents are being discussed with African partners," a government source said.

The India-Africa Forum Summit, launched in 2008, is the apex institutional mechanism for India's engagement with Africa and covers political, security, economic, trade, developmental, cultural and people-to-people cooperation. The Summit will be held under the theme "IA SPIRIT: India Africa Strategic Partnership for Innovation, Resilience, and Inclusive Transformation", reflecting the comprehensive nature of the India-Africa partnership.

Officials said capacity building and skill development will remain among the central themes of the summit, reflecting what they described as a hallmark of India's partnership with Africa.

India has trained thousands of African professionals under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme and offered scholarships through the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).

According to government sources, India has provided around 40,000 ITEC training slots over the last decade and extended nearly 50,000 scholarships and capacity-building opportunities to African partners.

India's development partnership footprint has also expanded in recent years, including the establishment of an IIT campus in Zanzibar, which officials described as an important milestone in educational cooperation.

"Capacity building and skilling are very significant pillars of the India-Africa relationship," a source said.

Officials said discussions at the summit are also expected to focus on defence and maritime security cooperation, connectivity, agriculture, health, digital technology and energy security.

"Defence and security will be an important pillar. Maritime cooperation is also a key area where both sides are looking to deepen engagement," they added.

India currently has nearly 5,000 peacekeepers deployed across United Nations missions in Africa, underlining New Delhi's long-standing security engagement with the continent.

Energy cooperation is also expected to feature prominently at the summit, with officials noting that roughly 10 per cent of India's energy supplies come from Africa.

"Agriculture has been an important sector of collaboration. There is also significant scope for improving connectivity with Africa," another source added.

Government sources highlighted the increasing intensity of political engagement between the two sides, pointing to around 50 visits from India to Africa and nearly 100 visits by African leaders and ministers to India in recent years.

India's diplomatic presence across Africa has also expanded steadily, with officials noting that New Delhi's diplomatic footprint now covers all regions of the continent.

Notably, India has expanded its diplomatic footprint in recent years by opening 17 new diplomatic Missions across the African continent, taking the number of our Missions there to 46.

The African continent is also amongst one of the largest recipients of India's overseas development assistance. India has extended more than 190 Lines of Credit (LoCs) of an amount over USD 10 billion to 41 African countries, supporting projects in sectors such as power, water supply, agriculture, transport, rural electrification, and digital connectivity.

Officials said both India and Africa share common positions on reforming global governance institutions, including the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), and are pursuing long-term developmental agendas focused on integration, sustainability, peace and global influence.

India is also expected to emphasise its historical and civilisational ties with Africa during the summit.

"India and Africa share centuries-old friendship built through movement of people, exchange of ideas, music, art, culture and people-to-people ties," a source said.

The summit is also expected to underline the role of the over three-million-strong Indian diaspora living across Africa in strengthening bilateral ties.

Regarding the growing presence of China and Western powers in Africa, government sources said India's engagement with the continent "stands on its own footing".

Notably, on April 23, EAM Jaishankar launched the theme, logo, and website for the fourth India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS-IV), where he said that "India has emerged as one of Africa's largest trading partners and bilateral investors. Trade and mutual investments have seen robust growth in recent years, driven by strong economic complementarities."

He also noted that in the "last decade, through concessional lines of credit, through grant assistance, and capacity-building initiatives, India has supported a wide range of projects, including in energy, agriculture, water supply, transport, healthcare, education and digital connectivity".

Notably, the India-Africa Forum Summit is an important platform for fostering dialogue with African countries and the AU Commission and advancing mutually beneficial collaboration, guided by the principles of mutual respect, equality, solidarity and shared prosperity.

The last edition of the India-Africa Forum Summit resulted in a major expansion of Indian development assistance and capacity-building programmes for Africa. The upcoming Summit will be a landmark engagement to further cement close ties of friendship and cooperation between India and Africa and to strengthen partnership under the South-South framework.

- ANI