Exploring the Role of India in Promoting the African Agency

India and Africa have a long history dating back to the monsoon winds that Indian traders used to travel to the eastern coasts of Africa. Immediately after its independence, India, as one of the first decolonised countries, decided to spearhead the struggle for a more just global order. This was the height of Third World unity, the heyday of Belgrade and Bandung. Over the decades, India has succeeded in holding onto its traditional support base in Africa. Today, Africa draws more attention, partly because of its camaraderie forged through shared experiences. However, as the rise of Africa would increase global multipolarity, it is also a strategic consideration for India.

The first India-Africa Forum summit took place in 2008 in New Delhi, India. It was the first summit involving the Heads of state and governments of 14 African nations selected by the African Union and India. India hosted the second summit in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, which was attended by 15 African countries. The third summit occurred from October 26 to 30, 2015, in New Delhi, India. This was the most extensive diplomatic outreach undertaken by the Modi administration, which involved representatives from fifty-four African countries, 41 of which were Presidents, including Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi of Egypt, Jacob Zuma of South Africa, and Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria.

Since then, there has been a significant increase in senior Indian leadership visits to Africa, along with a greater emphasis on training and development assistance. The opening of new embassies and development assistance is directed at Africa. The choice to establish new embassies in eighteen African countries demonstrates the increased attention paid to Africa. Similar to other powerful nations, India has included development partnerships as a crucial instrument in its diplomatic arsenal. And it has accomplished this in the distinctive ‘India Way’. In total, India’s development cooperation expanded to sixty-four countries with 300 Lines of Credit for 540 projects. With 321 projects encompassing 205 LoCs, most of these LoCs-led projects are currently in Africa.

In recent years, these initiatives have been qualitatively expanded, particularly concerning the scale and complexity of the projects inside the LoCs. A more coordinated strategy and tighter supervision have also improved the efficiency of their planning and execution. Grant support is distributed globally, encompassing nearly all developing regions, even more broadly than the Lines of Credit. An enhanced track record of project delivery has coincided with increased development aid offers. With the help of the International Day of Yoga, the International Solar Alliance, and—most recently—the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, India’s branding has grown significantly.

Prominent initiatives funded by India include the construction of government buildings in Burundi and Ethiopia, sugar plants in Ethiopia and Ghana, cement in Djibouti and the Republic of Congo, power in Sudan, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, and Malawi, water in Mozambique, Tanzania, and Guinea, and health in Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, and Zambia. This steady growth in Indian interests in Africa is reflected in an expanded footprint and a deeper engagement: 51 out of 54 nations of that continent host such development projects. At the same time, the training collaboration covers 10,000 Africans annually. Two digital initiatives are also in pilot mode in Africa today – the e-Vidya Bharati distance education and the e-Aarogya Bharati distance health. More than the cooperation itself, this aspect of India’s foreign policy underlines its progressive emergence on the global stage. To some Indian Ocean Island states, India has supplied naval equipment, provided training and undertaken hydrographic services.

Under the framework of the Group of Twenty (G20) presidency, India hosted the final summit on September 9 and 10 in the presence of more than 40 world leaders, including the G20 Heads of State or their representatives. One major outcome of the event, arguably the most significant, was that India successfully secured a permanent place in the Group of 20 for the African Union (AU), the continental body of 55 member-states. AU’s entry into G20 will indeed provide India with another platform to engage with Africa at a continental level, but this cannot replace IAFS, which is India’s outreach program for Africa. The last India-Africa Forum Summit was held in 2015 in New Delhi. Since then, a lot has changed geopolitically, economically, and global priorities. To build on the successes of earlier summits and to cater to the needs of the evolving global landscape, India must host the fourth summit.

Additionally, India unveiled several novel initiatives while serving as the G20 President, including the Global South Center of Excellence, the Global South Science and Technology Initiative, the Global South Young Diplomats Forum, the Global South Scholarships, and Aarogya Maitri (Wellness Friendship). Even as the specifics of these measures are still being worked out, Africa, “the heart of the Global South,” would undoubtedly benefit from these programs, adding an extra layer of support beyond that given to the African countries under the IAFS framework.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented the ten guiding principles of India’s new Africa policy to the Ugandan Parliament in July 2018. Currently, a “whole-of-Africa” perspective is used on global concerns. However, bilateral or regional approaches are still generally preferred. In defining its policies at the continental, regional, and bilateral levels, India must contend with numerous differences while maintaining connections with all 54 African nations. It would be challenging to determine the course of policy toward the post-colonial states of Africa if one did not consider their diversity concerning their colonial past, strategic importance, resource endowments, and degrees of socio-economic and technological development.

India and Africa’s relationship has developed naturally through cooperative methods. Currently, the main avenues for Indo-African cooperation are capacity-building programs, credit lines, grant support, development projects, technical consulting, disaster relief, humanitarian aid, and military cooperation. However, the tale of India in Africa has not received the recognition it merits, partly because India doesn’t play to the gallery. Relationships with Eastern African nations bordering the Indian Ocean, with which India has closer ties and a more extended history, are especially significant to the Indo-Pacific discussion.

Today, Africa is considered to be the neighbour across the horizon. Thus, further research is needed to fully comprehend Africa’s importance and potential contributions to the Indo-Pacific region. India now has a noticeable presence in Africa and many other regions where ties were previously weaker. This kind of greater cross-continental communication together with substantial interaction, primes India for a global mindset. Even though a new decade is about to begin, India is prepared for the next stage of its evolution. Given that India is once again at the centre of world geopolitics, chairing summits, navigating difficult choices and negotiating a seat at the high table of global governance, the time is opportune to convene the much-anticipated India Africa Forum Summit.

[1] The author is Doctoral Scholar at JNU and Senior Research Associate with the Vivekananda International Foundation. The views expressed are personal