India, Africa discuss joint strategy for Nairobi ministerial meet of WTO

India has implemented a total of 137 projects in 41 African countries during the period.

Addressing a press conference after the meeting, she said: “We have not set any targets (related to bilateral trade)”. This meeting would be followed by the India-Africa Forum Summit, beginning Monday.

Modi, who was speaking to the journalists forward of the India-Africa Forum Summit, stated, “India and Africa, constituting one-third of the worldwide inhabitants should proceed to speak in one voice for these reforms”.

INDIA remains committed to strengthening and deepening co-operation and strategic partnerships with Africa, including Zimbabwe, and has in the last five years extended $7,4 billion in concessional lines of credit towards economic development, Indian Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi said yesterday. “India’s trade with Africa, which was about $30 billion in fiscal 2007-8 more than doubled to about $72 billion in fiscal 2014-2015”.

Asked about the political instability in a few African nations, Kant said: “We don’t take a short-term view of our relationship with Africa”.

This alliance will be in sync with policy trends in both India as well as Africa. In the following pages, four experts-two Indian and two African-explore the hope and promise that current relations between Africa and India present.

The summit which will be held in the Capital’s Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium will see participation from all 54 members of the African Union including, at least, 41 countries engaging at the level of president, vice president, prime minister and king. A vast majority of exports from Africa to India are raw materials such as crude oil, gold, raw cotton, and precious stones. While the Indian private sector, including big names like Tata, Bajaj, Mahindra and Airtel, has made significant investments in Africa, it needs to be bolder and more imaginative in seizing the initiative on the continent. In doing all this, it is not viewed to be predatory in nature as China is in Africa.

For a long time, one of the biggest issues that have plagued global climate talks, pitting developing and developed countries against each other is the reluctance of the latter to transfer clearer energy know-how at lower costs.

India and Africa face the scourge of terrorism and can cooperate in stemming it. Africa, with a large Muslim population, has become a hotbed of Islamist extremism including the dreaded Boko Haram. A case in point was New Delhi’s failure to secure the backing of African nations for India’s permanent membership in the UN Security Council in 2006. Africa is experiencing rapid growth too.