India fully understands the African people’s desire to achieve self-sufficiency. India has transferred technology in a variety of ways, including direct foreign investment in lucrative sectors such as petroleum, mining and export, agriculture and industry, and so on. India has strategic interests in Africa, particularly in the Horn of Africa region, which serves as a vital shipping lane connecting the Indian Ocean to the Suez Canal. India has also provided extensive training facilities for local people so that they can play an active role in the management and development of various projects. Personnel from these countries have been given training opportunities in India.

HISTORY OF INDIA-AFRICA RELATIONS:

India has a long history of collaboration with Africa. The political and social ties date back to the early 1920s, when both regions were fighting colonial rule and oppression. The Indian freedom movement had an internationalist perspective; many Indian nationalists saw the struggle for independence as part of a global anti-imperialist movement. After gaining independence, India became a leading advocate for African decolonization at the United Nations. Despite its extreme poverty, independent India sought to share its limited resources with African countries under the banner of South-South cooperationIndia established the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme in 1964 to provide technical assistance to other developing countries through human resource development. Its greatest beneficiaries were African countries.

CURRENT STATUS OF INDIA-AFRICA RELATIONS:

Relationship institutionalization : India-Africa relations have been institutionalised since 2008. The India-Africa Forum Summit serves as the foundation for relations under the South-South Cooperation platform. So far, three summits have been planned. Mineral fuels and oils (processed petroleum products), pharmaceutical products, and vehicles are India’s top three exports to Africa. Mineral fuels and oils (basically crude oil) and pearls, precious or semi-precious stones are the top imports from Africa, accounting for more than 77% of India’s total imports.

Social: In 2017, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) awarded 50,000 scholarships to African students over a five-year period. Through training programmes , the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme assists Africa in providing people with opportunities to learn new skills and acquire knowledge.

The flow of LoC: Beginning in 2003, India began to use concessional lines of credit (LoC) as one of its key development partnership instruments to fund the construction of railway lines, electrification and irrigation projects, farm mechanisation projects, and other infrastructure projects. In Africa, India has sanctioned 182 LoC projects worth approximately US$ 10.5 billion.

Digital Cooperation: The Pan African e-Network, launched in 2009, was a game-changing initiative that used Indian IT expertise to improve healthcare and education in 53 African countries. In 2018, the second phase of this programme, e-VidyaBharti and e-ArogyaBharti (e-VBAB), began. It intends to provide free tele-education to 4,000 African students per year for the next five years, as well as medical education to 1000 African doctors, paramedics, and nurses.

International Cooperation: India and Africa have frequently shared common positions on various global platforms, and they have collaborated to protect the interests of other developing countries. They have submitted joint proposals to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), such as the Agricultural Framework Proposal and the Protection of Geographical Indications (WIPO).

10 GUIDING PRINCIPLE OF INDIA-AFRICA RELATIONSHIPS:

• Africa will be at the top of our priorities. We will continue to intensify and deepen our engagement with Africa. As we have shown, it will be sustained and regular.
• our development partnership will be guided by your priorities. We will build as much local capacity and create local opportunities as possible. It Competing powers in Africa: India is not the only external power involved in Africa; developed countries as well as other emerging powers such as China, Brazil, and Russia have been involved in a variety of activities across the continent.