India and Africa-sharing history and future

One country – almost a continent, with diverse cultures, languages, races, climates – and one continent, both with turbulent pasts and promising futures, the fusion of India and Africa is inevitable.  A rising India and a resurgent Africa will script a new chapter in world history.

The India-Africa Forum Summit, held in New Delhi in April2008, brought the two countries together for the first time to constitute a framework to bolster their bilateral relationship. Three years since the first summit, both the progressive partners have embarked on ambitious plans to achieve sustainable development across sectors and industries. From agriculture, environment, energy, mining, health, security and education to transport and tourism, the spectrum of their joint venture opens a myriad of possibilities.

The present target to achieve bilateral trade of US$70 billion by 2015 will give much needed impetus to India and Africa in the current currency regime. Though trade between China and Africa is far ahead at US$100 billion, Indian coalitions are more focussed on technology transfer, multi-lateral trade exchange, capacity building and human resource development. India’s expansion of unilateral duty free and preferential market access for exports from the 50 Least Developed Countries (LDCs), 34 of them in Africa, and its offer of a line of credit of US$5.4 billion reflect India’s holistic approach of forming a stronger bond with the sub-Saharan part of the continent.

Trade and training

Following the coalition’s plans, Africa will soon be host to many training academies in disciplines as diverse as diamond polishing, information technology, vocational education and Pan-African Stock Exchange. Furthermore, the Indian Government is offering 25 PhD and 50 Masters scholarships exclusively to African students to enhance their academic skills in agriculture, science and technology in the best Indian universities. The Pan-African e-project for telemedicine and distance education is now reaching 29 countries of Africa through a dedicated satellite – by connecting Indian universities and super-speciality hospitals with African towns, utilizing technological innovations to bridge the geographical distance bringing expert skills to the most needy. This is a striking example of the technological accomplishment when development and growth become the core focus of two regions that have bonded together.

Discussions are under way to create a Silicon Valley in Africa that will be the hub of knowledge zone of Indian IT experts and African research scientists to produce patented products to be marketed worldwide. And, there couldn’t have been a better time to usher in a green revolution, in a famine-stricken continent where food security is the pressing issue and weather conditions often catastrophic.

India’s engagement with Africa will also jointly deal with threats of piracy and terrorism, climate change and also voice their common concern for policy reforms on international platforms like the United Nations and the WTO (World Trade Organisation). Permanent representation in the UNSC (United Nations Security Council) for Indian and Africa now top the list of priorities of international concerns. Moreover, India is forming alliances with the Regional Economic Communities of Africa and the African Union (AU).

Upon closer examination, one discovers a clear shift from government-to-government dialogue to a wider exchange between the peoples and societies of both India and Africa. Thanks to the Indian diaspora settled in many parts of Africa, the amalgamation of cultural mix is becoming more pronounced.  Africa has opened its doors wider to allow Indian business developers easy access to the resource-rich assets of the continent.

Interestingly, the Indian Ocean, which forms the geographical separation between India and Africa also binds the two coasts together, in a shared history of cultural and trade exchange.  Nor should we forget it was Africa that converted a young, shy, reticent lawyer into a figure of history who took on the mightiest empire with no force or fear, namely one Mahatma Gandhi. The practice of ‘Apartheid’ brought Indian and African minds together to the common fight. For example, India’s national leader, Jawaharlal Nehru, vehemently protested against Mussolini’s invasion of Abyssinia, now called Ethiopia.

Source of inspiration

India’s arduous and relentless struggle for independence became a source of inspiration and infused a spirit of defiance and radicalism amongst Africans. It brought Indians and Africans together in what Nelson Mandela called the “Defiance Campaign.”

However, India’s relationship with Africa declined at the end of Nehru’s era. India was amongst the first countries to impose sanctions on apartheid South Africa which transformed into a legitimate, diplomatic way of protest. Even  when policies were reassessed and new reforms adopted, India continued to support the liberation struggles of Africa and supported the newly independent countries in international fora. 

Having made a head start in Africa, as economists stress, India should not play second fiddle to China, as it gains more political visibility on the continent. Africa is not only a witness to the burgeoning economic power of the Asian giants – China and India – but they are now an integral part of it as well. Both countries have locked horns to tap the energy and resources of the rich continent - imparting a new dimension to South-South relations. While China’s entry into Africa was strident, India’s engagement has been much quieter over the decades but is now gradually gaining more momentum and application than ever before.

Indeed both India and Africa have come a long way – prompting world leaders to look at them with more interest and seriousness and there is still time to overcome the daunting tasks of tackling poverty, corruption and unemployment. The realization of the enormous potential of this coalition would be incomplete without the engagement of the people involved. People across two shores are connecting together through the cultural and entertainment programmes to create a perfect ensemble.

Some targets have been met, some dreams are yet to be realised. In short, this marks the beginning of new period of renaissance and renewal. 

*Indian freelance journalist, based in New Delhi