Welcome Remarks
The Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses has hosted the Africa Day Roundtable annually since the last three years in order to commemorate Africa Day, which was earlier referred to as African Freedom Day and African Liberation Day. The IDSA Africa Day Roundtable has evolved into a well-established platform to discuss India-Africa ties. It contributes to the giant strides that India has taken under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to re-define and transform its ties with the dynamic continent of Africa.
Africa Day is an epochal event. India has been closely associated with it on account of our shared colonial past and rich contemporary ties. India had long supported Africa’s liberation from colonialism and from apartheid, both before and after attaining Independence. We have a long history of sympathising with one another in the endeavour to realise our true destinies as free nations.
In the year 2019, Africa Day assumes a special significance since 2 October 2019 marks the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The Government of India as well as Indian Missions abroad are engaged in year-long celebrations and events leading up to that momentous milestone. Therefore, this event is dedicated to the eternal memory of Mahatma Gandhi, whose values and teachings contributed to the emancipation from colonial yoke of the peoples of India and Africa.
Historically, India has enjoyed close ties with the African continent, whether through ancient maritime trade driven by the monsoon winds, or on account of the presence of a vast Indian diaspora that once included a young Mahatma Gandhi who perfected his ideals of truth and non-violence through years of struggle in South Africa. It is no wonder that the late Nelson Mandela once said, “You gave us Mohandas; we returned him to you as Mahatma Gandhi”. On the other hand, the Siddis in Gujarat and Karnataka trace their roots to the Bantu people of East Africa. They are part of the cultural splendour of India.
The world today is in flux. Change and uncertainty are the only constants. Key drivers of globalisation such as the liberal trading order and the flow of goods, services, capital and technology are being reassessed. Protectionism has reared its head. Easy developmental finance comes with conditions that erode sovereignty. Anti-migrant sentiment thwarts the free movement of human talent. Technology, that vital pillar of progress, is open to misuse in the digital age.
What is more, power is fractured. States and non-state actors have acquired the means and the skills-set to overcome asymmetry. Traditional and non-traditional security threats such as economic and military competition, climate change, cyber threats and energy and food security have grown in magnitude. The spectre of terrorism, especially cross-border terrorism, continues to challenge peace and prosperity. Yet, amidst all these challenges, we must continue to strive to achieve peace and progress. There are multiple opportunities for India and Africa to work together on the basis of our national interests.
Africa’s on-going modernisation blends in with India’s rapid economic transformation. While India remains the world’s fastest-growing emerging economy, Africa is home to several of the top 20 IMF ranked emerging countries. Africa is on course, like India, to become an engine for global economic growth and a key player in shaping the global narratives.
Pan-African cooperation has been strengthened by the recent conclusion of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). African countries have also made commendable progress in resolving regional conflicts and initiating sustainable development.
India has designated Africa as a ‘top priority of its foreign and economic policy’. Prime Minister Modi’s government has carried out unprecedented outreach and engagement over the past five years through high-level visits. The India Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) has brought us even closer together. India-Africa trade has grown from US$ 1 billion in 1990 to US$ 62 billion in 2018, making India, Africa’s fourth largest national trading partner.
India continues to be a reliable development partner for Africa through multiple capacity building programmes, having implemented 180 Lines of Credit worth about US$ 11 billion in over 40 African countries. India is also the fifth largest investor in Africa. The focus on adding capacity received a new impetus at the 2015 New Delhi IAFS summit when India announced a US$ 10 billion concessional line of credit and US$ 600 million grant assistance.
Our development partnership remains anchored in the principles of equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit with demand being driven by African priorities. As Prime Minister Modi had stated while outlining India’s 10 guiding principles of African engagement in Uganda in 2018 – ‘India’s development partnership will be on terms that will liberate African potential and not constrain African future’.
India has also partnered Japan, U.S., and the UAE to build capacity and develop quality infrastructure in Africa. The India-Japan initiative of the Asia Africa Growth Corridor is an example. India also remains an active participant in the African Union’s pan-African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) which is a vital instrument of Africa’s economic transformation. Much remains to be done.
There is potential for deepening our engagement in through digital programmes and in areas such as maritime, energy, food and cyber security, humanitarian and disaster relief, counterterrorism and military training.
India has made rich contributions to UN Peace Keeping Operations in Africa, and to anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden and the wider Indian Ocean.
Our shared maritime interests remain anchored in developing a blue economy, particularly in the context of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region), and in ensuring unimpeded commerce and freedom of navigation and over-flight along key sea lanes of communication.
The concept of the Indo-Pacific, which underscores the importance of treating the terrestrial and maritime domains of two great oceans as one seamless strategic space, binds us together. Several African states are also members of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) which is an open and inclusive Indian initiative that seeks to promote maritime co-operation among navies of the littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region. Strong India-Africa ties can strengthen multi-polarity in the Indo-Pacific region. There is no place for a re-emergence of neo-colonial versions of economic or security domination. A just, representative and democratic world order remains a key objective of South-South cooperation, manifested in IBSA, BRICS and BASIC.
