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Showing posts with the label India- Africa relations

Africa, China, India – Relationships in Transition? ( Source- The Diplomat / Author- Tim Steinecke)

India- Africa Forum Summit ( Image credits- Flickr / MEA official image gallery) Source- The Diplomat Author- Tim Steinecke In late October, the majority of Africa’s heads of state followed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invitation and travelled to New Delhi for the third India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS). The high-profile summit came at a time when India’s political and economic relations with African states have generally been overshadowed by the more prominent “Sino-African relations,” as all action between China and African states is styled. Many observers were expecting the policy-savvy Modi to use the IAFS to introduce a new era of India-Africa relations, potentially even outlining an Indian strategy to address the perceived omnipresence of China in Africa. While Modi rhetorically made use of the special connections between Africa and India, the summit nevertheless remained within known territory of international approaches to Africa. Modi promised concessional l

Evaluating India-Africa Maritime Relations ( Source- The Diplomat / Author- Abhijit Singh)

INS Mysore D-60 ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons / Indian Navy) Source- The Diplomat Author- Abhijit Singh On October 26, leaders of 54 African nations gathered in New Delhi for the third edition of the four-day India-Africa Forum Summit – an event billed in the Indian media as India’s most ambitious outreach program towards Africa. On the eve of the high-level conclave, reports indicated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s proposed launch of “a new era of India-Africa relations” included a plan for the comprehensive development of Africa’s littorals. In keeping with India’s expanded focus on Africa’s maritime economic potential, commentary in the media suggested, the Indian government was keen to formalize a wide-ranging maritime partnership. Indeed, the past few years have witnessed a reorientation in India’s nautical outlook towards Africa. With increasing emphasis on developing maritime relationships with Mozambique, Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar, Seychelles and M

India's Big African Opportunity ( Source- The Diplomat, Author- Tim Steinecke)

Image credits- Internet/Author Source- The Diplomat Author- Tim Steinecke The Indian Ministry of External Affairs recently announced that it would be postponing the third India-Africa Forum Summit, which had been scheduled to take place in New Delhi in December 2014. The main reason behind the decision appears to be the ongoing Ebola epidemic in Western Africa. Besides the more obvious risk of spreading the disease through intercontinental travel, it would have appeared indelicate for African heads of state to feast at banquets in New Delhi while the outbreak raged back in West Africa. Subsequently, the Indian government  pushed the summit to an unspecified date in early 2015 , leaving many observers to curiously await Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Africa policy, which he had been expected to reveal at the summit. The India-Africa Forum Summit is only one of four major international initiatives that court African leaders. This year had already seen two of the others: t