To help those following developments at the Summit, SAIIA has put together a package of videos, articles and papers on India-Africa relations.
Summit background
The 2015 Summit is the first time all 54 African heads of state have been invited. Previously, according to the Banjul Formula, agreed to by the African Union (AU) and India, only the five founding members of NEPAD, and the chairs and executive secretaries of the eight regional communities, the current and previous chair of the AU and the AU commission chair participated.
This year India has also extended special invitations to the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, the president of the African Development Bank, the UN co-ordinator for Africa and the UN head of global HIV/AIDS.
It will be the biggest summit held in India since the country’s hosting of the Non-Aligned and Commonwealth summits in 1983.
The summit takes place on Thursday 29 October, while the foreign ministers meet on Tuesday 27 October. The Business Forum will take place on Wednesday 28 October. More than 400 business delegates from Africa have registered to participate in the business exhibition, which will cover diverse sectors from energy and health to infrastructure and innovation. The ministers of trade met earlier on Friday 23 October.
Trade between India and Africa has grown from US$5.3 billion in 2001 to US$70 billion in 2015. Indian investments in Africa amount to some US$30-35 billion. About US$7.4 billion in concessional lines of credit have been offered, of which US$6.8 billion has been approved.
Since its first meeting the Forum has focused on trade, technology and training as its major pillars. However, India historically has also been a significant troop contributor to UN peace missions and currently has 4,500 soldiers on the ground in Africa, including the only all-female police unit, in Liberia. Maritime security and the blue economy are also potential areas of future engagement.
India-Africa resources
- Read a new working paper and summary, ‘Indian foreign policy and India-Africa Relations‘.
- Read two new Policy Insights papers, ‘Silk, Cinnamon and Cotton: Emerging Power Strategies for the Indian Ocean and the Implications for Africa‘ (June 2015) and ‘Aligning Africa’s Maritime Ambitions with Broader Indian Ocean Regionalism‘ (September 2015).
- Read an analysis, ‘India Rising: Modi’s foreign policy as one of ‘problem-solving,” (July 2014).
- Visit the official website of the Third India Africa Forum Summit.
Note: Limited media interviews will be available on this topic. Please contact Mr Hopewell Radebe, SAIIA Communications Manager, on media@saiia.org.za or +27 (0) 83 5821734.
