India-Africa Relationship- Explained Pointwise |ForumIAS

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India’s engagement with Africa has grown significantly over the past decade. The 2015 India–Africa Forum Summit, which brought together all 54 African nations, marked a major diplomatic milestone. Since then, India has opened new missions, expanded trade beyond $100 billion, increased investments, and supported Africa’s stronger global role, including its entry into the G20. It is now important to review not just the promises made but the solid foundations built for a deeper India–Africa partnership.

Table of Content

Historical Evolution of India-Africa Relations
Areas of Cooperation Between India and Africa
Strategic Significance of Africa for India
Challenges in India-Africa Relations
Way Forward

Historical Evolution of India-Africa Relations

Cultural and Trade Links	India-Africa relations date back millennia, with trade between the Indus Valley Civilization and African civilizations. During colonial times, Indian indentured laborers (girmitiyas) in Africa strengthened socio-cultural connections.
Political Ties and Anti-Colonial Solidarity	India and Africa shared struggles against colonialism, exemplified by Gandhi’s civil disobedience work in South Africa. After independence, India backed African decolonization at the UN and worked with Africa at the 1955 Bandung Conference, helping form the Non-Aligned Movement to advance Global South interests
Technical and Economic Cooperation	The Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) program, launched in 1964, provided technical assistance to African nations. ITEC strengthened people-to-people ties and laid the foundation for long-term India-Africa partnerships.

Areas of Cooperation Between India and Africa

1. Political Cooperation

Regional and Global Engagements: Collaborations through the Asia-Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC), Build Back Better World (B3W), Blue Dot Network, African Development Bank (ADB), and other platforms strengthen South-South cooperation.
UNSC Reform and Multilateral Advocacy: India has actively supported the Ezulwini Consensus for African representation at the UN Security Council. Both India and African nations frequently align in BRICS, OIC, and New Development Bank (NDB) forums.
Regional Organizations: Engagement with ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) highlights India’s commitment to African integration and regional stability.

2. Economic Cooperation

Trade and Investment: India-Africa bilateral trade reached approximately $100 billion in 2024-25, with India as Africa’s third-largest trading partner. India’s investments in Africa, approximately $75 billion, span energy, mining, telecommunications, and pharmaceuticals.
Financial Initiatives: EXIM Bank’s Focus Africa Programme, India-Africa Partnership projects, and preferential trade agreements with the Southern African Customs Union illustrate India’s commitment to African development.
FDI and Lines of Credit: Around 22.5% of India’s outward FDI flows target Africa, complemented by concessional Lines of Credit worth $12.26 billion, enabling infrastructure projects such as irrigation development in Senegal.

3. Security Cooperation

India collaborates with African countries on maritime security, anti-piracy operations, and humanitarian and disaster relief (HADR).
Key platforms include the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and multinational exercises like MILAN, Cutlass Express, and Africa-India Key Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME).

4. Climate Change and Technology Cooperation

India and Africa work jointly to tackle climate change through the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).
Technology initiatives such as the Pan-African e-Network and India Stack technologies (UPI, RuPay) support digital infrastructure, capacity-building, and sustainable development in Africa.

5. People-to-People (P2P) Cooperation- India has extended its human resource expertise to Africa through

Technical training and scholarships via Indian Council for Cultural Relations and ITEC programs.
Deployment of Indian engineers, healthcare workers, and digital infrastructure specialists.
Tele-education and telemedicine initiatives like e-VidyaBharti and e-ArogyaBharti.

Strategic Significance of Africa for India

Economic and Resource Security: Africa supplies critical minerals essential for India’s industrial and green energy transition: 48.1% of global cobalt and 47.7% of global manganese come from Africa.
Trade and Investment Opportunities: Africa offers vast markets and resources; the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) provides the world’s largest free trade area, boosting India-Africa trade and investment.
Young and Growing Consumer Base: Africa’s rapidly urbanising population presents a large market for Indian IT, banking, financial services, and mobile payment solutions.
Geopolitical and Diplomatic Importance: Africa is a strategic partner in advocating Global South priorities, reforming multilateral institutions (UN, WTO), and promoting international peace. India’s support for the African Union’s G20 membership highlights this collaboration.
Defence and Security Cooperation: Engagements through the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), Indian Ocean Commission (IOC), and maritime exercises like MILAN, Cutlass Express, and Africa-India Key Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME) strengthen regional security and protect vital sea lanes.
Soft Power, Technology, and Climate Initiatives: India extends ICCR/ITEC scholarships, e-VidyaBharti/e-ArogyaBharti, and India Stack technologies (UPI/RuPay). It also collaborates on renewable energy through the International Solar Alliance (ISA), Global Solar Facility, and Virtual Green Hydrogen Innovation Centre.

Challenges in India-Africa Relations

Geopolitical Contestation: Africa has become a stage for strategic competition among China, the U.S., EU, Russia, Japan, Türkiye, and UAE, which limits India’s influence and bargaining power.
Chinese Assertiveness: China’s massive investments, diplomatic outreach, and infrastructure projects often overshadow India’s contributions. Between 2007–2023, China hosted 251 African leaders, demonstrating its deep influence.
Lack of Clear Strategy: India’s development cooperation model in Africa often lacks the scale, speed, and financial depth that China brings, reducing its competitiveness.
Focus Diversion: India’s strategic focus on the Indo-Pacific and strengthening ties with Western powers sometimes diverts attention from Africa.
Social and Perception Concerns: Incidents of racial attacks on African nationals in India have negatively impacted India’s image and soft power in the continent.
Operational and Security Challenges: Procedural delays, funding bottlenecks, and logistical issues slow down India-funded projects. Additionally, terrorism, conflicts, and political unrest in regions like the Sahel and Horn of Africa pose risks to Indian personnel and investments.

Way Forward

Political and Diplomatic Cooperation: Revive regular India-Africa Forum Summits and establish a dedicated Secretary for African Affairs in the Ministry of External Affairs to ensure consistent engagement.
Defence and Security Collaboration: Increase the number of defence attachés in African capitals, strengthen maritime security partnerships, and expand Lines of Credit for defence exports to enhance strategic ties.
Economic and Development Initiatives: Create an Africa Growth Fund (AGF) to boost trade and investment, promote project exports, and strengthen cooperation in the shipping sector.
Socio-Cultural Engagement: Expand academic, cultural, and people-to-people exchanges, rename ITEC and ICCR scholarships after notable African figures, and set up a National Centre for African Studies in India.
Roadmap Implementation and Strategic Vision: Implement Roadmap 2030 through collaboration between the MEA and the National Security Council Secretariat, and operationalize PM Modi’s 10 guiding principles (Kampala Principles) for India-Africa engagement.