Indian trade with Africa has approached $100 billion over the years, while its cumulative investments in the Continent are over $75 billion, the Special Secretary, Economic Relations and Development Partnership Administration ER&DPA, India’s Ministry of External Affairs, Shri P Kumaran, has said.
Kumaran, who stated this at a meeting with journalists from Central and West Africa on a formalisation visit at the Ministry’s headquarters in New Delhi, said India’s G20 Presidency in 2023 allowed it to elevate the concerns of developing countries, leading to the inclusion of the African Union as a permanent member of the G20.
The G20 is an elite group of the world’s most potent and significant economies, representing 85% of global GDP, 75% of international trade, and two-thirds of the world’s population.
According to the Special Secretary, India’s foreign policy towards Africa was based on four pillars: development partnership and capacity building, trade and investment, people-to-people solid ties, and defence and maritime security. The principles of non-interference and mutual respect guided its priorities.
Kumaran said India’s Development Cooperation was built on the premise of solidarity with countries of shared experiences and challenges, adding that its approach to development partnerships was human-centric and demand-driven,
He also noted that India preferred to describe itself as a development partner to other countries rather than a donour, thus setting an egalitarian tone in its development cooperation.
“The objective is to create higher capacities in the host country so that instead of prolonged dependency, we can achieve a mutually beneficial interdependency. As the Prime Minister of India stated in his address at the Parliament of Uganda in July 2018, ‘Our development partnership will be guided by your priorities. It will be on terms that will be comfortable for you, liberate your potential and not constrain your future…’
“Accordingly, our project portfolio encompasses roads and bridges, railways, ports, inland waterways, power stations and transmission lines, IT and telecommunication infrastructure, and upgrading border-related infrastructure to enable a smoother flow of goods and passengers.
In addition, India has also undertaken several projects in healthcare, education, capacity-building, agriculture and digital public infrastructure.
“So far, over 300 LOCs aggregating USD 31 billion have been extended to 68 countries in various sectors. Keeping with the high priority we attach to our ‘Neighborhood First’ Policy, we have extended LOCs totalling over USD 14 billion to our neighbours, viz., Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Maldives. Africa’s share is about USD 12 billion, spread over 42 countries. 336 developmental projects have been taken up so far.
“Out of these, 208 projects have already been completed. Eighty-five projects are currently under execution, and the remaining are in various preparatory stages. Some of the iconic assets built in Africa under this modality include the Parliament Building in Gambia, the Presidential Palace in Ghana, the Kosti Power project in Sudan, which provides 1/3rd of the country’s power; Upper Ruvu Water Treatment Plant in Tanzania, and several ‘first-ever’ industrial units, such as the first cement plant in Djibouti, the first milk processing plant in Mauritania, and the first sugar factory in Ghana.
“In addition to LOCs, India has supported projects in several countries with outright grants amounting to nearly USD 4 Billion. Most of India’s grant assistance projects are concentrated in India’s neighbourhood and some African countries. We also have more than 50 cultural and heritage and monument restoration projects in Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Vietnam and some other countries,” Kumaran said.
He stated that some critical projects completed with Government of India grant assistance include creating infrastructure and assets in areas like high-end cancer treatment equipment for hospitals, vehicle infrastructure for police/security agencies, vocational and IT training centres and technology centres for agriculture.
He said others include “the ENT hospital, Metro Express Project, and the Supreme Court building in Mauritius; the e-VBAB Network Project to provide tele-education and telemedicine facilities; and vocational training centres in Ethiopia, Burundi, Rwanda, Egypt, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique.
“We have also provided life-saving medicines, vaccines, kidney dialysis machines and other medical equipment, and essential supplies as part of our HADR efforts. Capacity building is another core component of India’s development partnerships.
“The Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme, established in 1964, continues to be among the oldest and largest mechanisms for international capacity-building. Since then, we have provided training in several fields to over 240,000 officials from over 160 countries through more than 2500 courses offered at more than 120 world-class institutions in the civilian and defence sectors.
“In cumulative terms, African government officials and civil servants have utilised nearly 37,000 civilian training slots under the ITEC programme in the past 2 decades.
The Ministry of Defence provides ITEC defence courses through its more than 100 Defence institutes and nearly 600 courses.
“Since 2014, over 26000 defence training slots (including 2024-25) have been offered to 130 countries, and over 13000 defence trainees have benefited. Skill development in IT and higher education courses in Computer Science have been significant successes of India’s capacity-building partnership.
“A total of 23 Centres of Excellence in IT (CEIT) in partner countries have been operational in 2014-2024. Out of this, 10 (Centres for Excellence in IT) are in Africa and have trained nearly 57,000 IT graduates and postgraduates.
“Vocational training in hardware-related trades, often coupled with basic entrepreneurial skills, has been another significant cooperation sector. 10 VTCs dealing with these subjects have been set up in Ethiopia, Burundi, Rwanda, Egypt, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Tanzania.
“Nearly 10,000 youth have benefitted from skilling or skill-upgradation delivered through these centres. In addition to the ITEC Programme, India offers many scholarships through the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and helps nurture future leaders.
“The share of Africa was 908 scholarships. India’s digital public infrastructure has transformed our economy, and we are eager to share these benefits with our neighbours and the Global South. Pilot projects are already underway to enhance financial connectivity and reduce transaction costs.
“We have to join hands to pursue comprehensive reform of the international governance institutions and the international financial architecture, including the UNSC, IMF and the World Bank, to promote greater representation from countries of the Global South and effectively empower them to achieve SDGs.”
