Gurjit Singh, The Harambee Factor: India-Africa Economic and Development Partnership, Macmillan Publishers India Private Limited, India, 2022.
“The Harambee Factor” by Amb. Gurjit Singh is an erudite take on the multiple dynamics of the India-Africa economic and development partnership. The book has a logical flow of content with a total of 12 chapters. Beginning with an introductory chapter that lays out the premise for the book, the next six chapters explore the development partnership between India and Africa through decoding the commitments and grants of the three India-Africa Forum Summits (IAFS) while the following four chapters bring out the salient aspects of India-Africa economic engagement by exploring trade, mutual Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs), Lines of Credit (LOCs) provided under the Indian Development and Economic Assistance Scheme (IDEAS) and others, with the concluding chapter coherently bringing out some of the core observations and arguments of the author.
The book has a fascinating format of beginning with the English translation of well-known African quotes and ends with a section mostly titled assessment in which Amb. Singh offers fresh suggestions and policy inputs for a way forward. The quotes are well-chosen and appropriate of the core essence of each chapter. The preface reveals an interesting Indian etymology of the word “Harambee”, which in Swahili represents “pulling together in a cooperative spirit”. The book is detailed and comprehensive in its presentation of all topics. Its lucid text is interspersed with interesting trivia, personal anecdotes, insightful remarks, and novel perspectives on historical events which makes Amb. Singh’s book a highly engaging and illuminating read.
The author broadly argues that the political and strategic contours of the India-Africa relationship are well understood and have retained momentum. He opines that the economic engagement and development partnership between India and Africa needs to be revisited. Apart from the scholarly research methodology that is evident in the book and the conduct of surveys bringing out important findings, the author also draws heavily from his own personal experiences during his tenure as a career diplomat. Besides exploring discrepancies and the scope for improvement in India’s development engagement with Africa, he mainly underscores that economic cooperation between the two has been ignored and it needs to be accorded greater importance for a sustained partnership.
One of the highlighting and recurring themes of the book is the formation of the African Union, its positive ramifications, and the simultaneously evolving approach of India towards Africa. While AU’s formation implied a sort of ‘African Renaissance’ in the continent, India’s continental level of cooperation complemented its traditional bilateral approach. The transitioned and transitioning stages of Africa’s growth story are well outlined. Amb. Singh presents a comprehensive and detailed narrative of the events that transpired during the creation of the IAFS and also accords due credit by naming some of the officials involved in the process of its fructification. These instances in the book, make the reader reflect on how the personality of officials and leaders involved often drives politics, especially in foreign policy. Shedding light on the roots of the IAFS, the Banjul formula, and so on; the chronological detailing and flow of content is engaging. He brings out the importance and need for the IAFS form of approach for India to keep a pan-Africa focus.
In 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid down the ten guiding principles of India’s partnership with Africa. Amb. Singh presents an insightful take on the same by decoding and explaining each of these principles. The author makes pertinent observations while offering a good round-up of the salience of the various regional organisations with AU at the centre. He presents interesting opinions like the foundation of India-Africa diplomatic ties is the people-to-people linkages. The underlying reasons for this stance are yet another fascinating read. He explores diaspora and civil-society organisations in the respective countries and their role in the economy. The book provides detailed insight into the success of the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme (ITEC), enumerates on India’s development projects, grant programmes, IAFS based development cooperation, and others, all of which adhere to India’s principles of – “on request, equality and non-conditionality”. In his assessments, Amb. Singh also mentions the role of seminars and forums organised by think-tanks on pertinent issues in furthering India and Africa ties. For example: The ‘India-Africa Strategic Dialogue’ (IASD) organised by the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) on important security issues.
Through research findings in his book, Amb. Singh debunks certain narratives on India’s approach to cooperation with Africa. He also links the role of education and African students in India to the bilateral ties. Anecdotes presented on such topics add weight to his arguments, and make the book extremely interesting. Other important themes and sections of the book are on the private sector trade between India and Africa, the flow of African FDI into India, and the role of investments by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Amb. Singh traces out the meaningful engagement that has transpired between India and the African countries. Recognising that Africa is an opportunity and a challenge on its own, he concludes on the note that India must alter its matrix of engagement with Africa.
The author makes compelling, fresh and insightful arguments throughout the book. The book is an intense reading on the subject of India-Africa ties and is a must-read for students, scholars and anyone interested in understanding the African region and the India-Africa partnership. At every juncture, Amb. Singh presents important observations and policy suggestions. This makes the book a relevant read for policy-makers as well.
*Ms. Sindhu Dinesh is a Research Analyst at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-ISDA), New Delhi.
