ENHANCING INDIA-AFRICA TIES: INVESTMENTS, PARTNERSHIPS, AND DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE

India and the African continent have a long-standing, positive relationship.

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Given their shared colonial history and the influence India’s own freedom movement gave to earlier historical movements in Africa, India has gained a great deal of respect for its efforts in the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and other international fora to represent poor nations and fight against apartheid and decolonization. In the early years of its worldwide expansion, many African nations gave independent India a platform for its developing bilateral relations. Concerning socio-economic metrics and inclusive, sustainable development, both India and Africa still face the same obstacles. For the world to develop, India and Africa must work together. Throughout the African continent, there is a sizable diaspora of Indian people. Furthermore, this relationship was primarily focused on political and ideological ties, with some trade, during the latter half of the 20th century. India’s relationship with African nations, however, has significantly changed over the past ten years and is now centred on developing alliances that will benefit both parties economically and politically.

Importantly, India today sees its development cooperation with Africa as a process that can only be sustained if it is situated within a larger political, social, and intellectual framework rather than only in terms of economics. India, which has invested a substantial amount of resources over the years, is now Africa’s largest trading partner. India is also attempting to sign new contracts for the import of goods and pulses from Africa, which establishes the two nations as natural and complementary partners on their own development trajectories. This cooperation has recently grown even more significant.