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In a major Indian push towards Africa, 25 western and southern African countries participated in a three-day conclave in New Delhi, to discuss ways of partnering India for their development needs. The first India–Africa Project Partnership Conclave was indeed a pan-African glimpse on the emerging opportunities in the African continent. The conclave was represented at the ministerial level by most of the African countries. Besides the ministers, the respective national chambers of commerce, financial institutions and top businessmen were also part of the event. The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Chad, Nagopum Yamassoum, made his first bilateral visit to India. Besides Chad, the other participating nations were Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Mauritius, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe and Zambia.
The conclave was organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Exim Bank of India in association with the Indian government and the African Development Bank. The African countries look at India as a source for technology, expertise and manpower training. There is a great deal of convergence of interests. The organisers said, the primary objective of the event was to enable Indian technical consultants, industry and project exporters to participate in a wide range of developmental activities and projects, which are in the offing in several African countries, and which are also recipients of significant funding from multilateral or regional agencies and India. India’s efforts to aid and support Africa in its development and in the establishment of its industries, received a major boost through the three-day India-Africa Project Partnership.
The conclave in which over 120 delegates, including prominent personalities like the Vice President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mr Jean Pierre Bemba; the Deputy Prime Minister of Ethiopia; the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Chad, H.E. Nagoum Yamassoum; and over 22 cabinet ministers, plus heads of chambers of commerce, senior business personalities, besides heads of major regional banks and financial institutions took part, saw India strongly focussing on joint venture projects with Africa, which would facilitate Africa’s ability to access the 500 million US dollar line of credit under TEAM 9 and the 200 million US dollar line of credit under NEPAD.
The conclave’s primary objective was to enable Indian industry to participate in a wide range of developmental activities and projects that are in the offing in several African countries, said Shyamal Gupta, the Chairman of the CII-Africa Committee and Chairman, Tata International Ltd. Commenting on the need for a concerted and strategic effort, Gupta said that only this would facilitate India’s participation in Africa’s developmental processes. He felt that there was also a need to facilitate the sharing of technologies available with Indian SMEs, for partnering projects in the private sector in Africa. The target areas for Indian companies, he said, should be infrastructure, especially power and energy, transport, telecom, irrigation, water supply, sanitation and housing. Other sectors would include agriculture, agro-food processing, healthcare and pharma, turnkey projects and engineering consultancy. The conclave sought to underscore India’s endeavours to provide a tangible shape to economic cooperation with Africa, and enlarge support from Africa for New Delhi’s bid to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.
The conclave was successful in giving a concrete shape to the shared desire for a vibrant and mutually beneficial partnership. The External Affairs Minister of India Natwar Singh, at his inaugural address highlighted the need to stand together and launch a decisive assault against poverty that continues to grip the people of both Africa and India. He also said that India is keen to translate the shared history and political, cultural and economic linkages into an institutionalised structure of interaction. He added that “there is considerable optimism in the new partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). It has been crafted by reform-oriented African leaders who have a vision for Africa. The prospects offered by the partnership and the vast potential for sustainable progress creates an important space for countries like India to share and be part of the new dynamism. We are deeply committed to the NEPAD process and strongly support the efforts that enable Africa to take its political and social destiny in its own hands and ensure African ownership of Africa’s resources”. The External Affairs Minister has also said that India has been geared towards strengthening of horizontal South—South linkages, and towards promoting self-reliance through transfer of technologies, appropriate to the needs of her partners. India sees South—South Cooperation as the embodiment of a new spirit, of an alternative, cooperative approach to the challenges of economic development.
Mr Singh said that “India’s growing stature in the global arena must translate into a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council. India is a legitimate candidate for a reformed and expanded Security Council. In 2005, the UN Security Council (UNSC) should not function on the basis of the political realities of 1945. The Security Council should be reformed and expanded, with the addition of new permanent members.” Stressing on the rise of India as a key player in the global arena, he commented “We are not just the second largest country in terms of population; we are the world’s fourth largest economy in terms of purchasing power parity and one of the largest contributors of peacekeeping operations.” Mr Singh also emphasised that “a seat for India in the Security Council will also be an additional voice for Africa to articulate its concerns on the inequalities of the international order”. While thanking African countries for supporting India’s candidature for the UNSC, Singh also backed representation for Africa in the UNSC. “It is essential for Africa to be suitably represented in an expanded Security Council with permanent seats,” he added. The External Affairs Minister visualised an increased synergy between India and Africa in the African Union. Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Mr E.V.K.S. Elangovan spoke about India’s burgeoning trade ties with Africa and the need for more people-to-people contacts.
The conclave showcased the trade and investment potential of African countries. Delegates from Tanzania gave an extensive presentation on investment opportunities in the mineral sector of the country. Trade representatives from Uganda and Kenya presented their potentialities in various sectors of the economy like agriculture, finance, mineral, health, information technology, food processing, transport, infrastructure development, construction, etc. During presentations at the conclave, several African countries offered investment opportunities in exploration blocks and other energy projects. Juma Ngasongwa, Tanzanian Minister for Industry and Trade said, “Traditionally Europeans have been our major trade partners. But now we are diversifying to seek closer alliances with India and China.” He added that, “We are keen to get investment from India in all sectors, particularly from manufacturing, like textiles, mining and exploration. We have plenty of raw material like cotton, cashew and iron ore, which we would like to use for value addition.” The Tanzanian Minister also pointed out the potential to utilise iron ore and rich coal deposits in his country, and for the manufacture of steel and steel products. Accompanied by an 11-member delegation including three business representatives seeking alliances in the brush, water pump and pharma sectors, the Tanzanian Minister said there was an active interest in his country to forge alliances with Indian companies. The contingent from Tanzania expects Indian companies to venture into Tanzania’s hydrocarbon sector.
“This is the time for India to come and look for investment opportunities in central Africa. We sincerely hope India will look at this region as an area of opportunities,” said Chad’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nagoum Yamassoum. The Nigerian team sought Indian participation in a pipeline project for export of gas from the African region to Europe. The pipeline is expected to lift gas from Nigeria, Niger and Algeria, for delivery to Europe.
The key component of the conclave was the one-to-one meetings. There were presentations by major companies in addition to the interactions with CEOs. Leading companies like Tata, Kirloskar Brothers Ltd, Angelique International, Mohan Energy, International Tractors, Sterlite, Kalpataru, Jaguar Overseas, SSP Ltd, Praj Consultants, who have made a mark in the African continent, shared their success stories at the conclave. The sectoral parallel sections consisted of presentations by delegates from Africa on partnership opportunities for specific projects. It followed presentations from the Indian side on projects on offer, for partnership and success stories. A one-to-one meeting followed these presentations to enable both sides to discuss specifics. Power and energy sector is crucial to the development of African economies. Parallel sections went far to analyse the priorities of the African countries in this regard. The section discussed the technologies and experience available in India for partner-ships in power and energy sector.
The conclave was a concerted and strategic effort for facilitating India’s participation in the development processes of Africa. It intended to facilitate the sharing of technologies available with Indian small and medium enterprises (SMEs), for partnering projects in the private sector in African countries. The conclave also intended to generate employment through replication of the Indian model in agriculture and in small-scale enterprises.
Africa was looked upon as a continent of great hope and aspirations for centuries. Today there is greater realisation among the African countries that cooperation with India is mutually beneficial. The conclave highlighted the need for fostering economic partnership between the two regions. It encouraged a productive business-to-business dialogue, giving due importance to the private sector. This is more important since Africa is one of the important trading partners of India.
Regional economic cooperation is considered to be an answer to Africa’s developmental needs. Various steps were taken for integrating regional economies are creating opportunities for projects in all sectors including agriculture, manufacturing and services. Indian government introduced many initiatives for partnerships and mutual benefits, between India and the African countries.
Institutional capacity building is crucial for development. A trained and educated workforce has given India a considerable edge over the rest of the developing world. Education and training of the workforce are the keys to prosperity in today’s world. The sectoral partnerships, viz. education and training, discussed how Africa can benefit from partnering with India. India, over the years, has developed an infrastructure for integrating domestic production centres and markets, including gateways to overseas markets. Development has taken place in railways, roadways and shipping. The conclave discussed the lines in which India can help African countries in developing their transportation systems.
Information and communication technology is the hallmark of the Indian growth process. It is of great importance to Africa, since the IT & communication revolution can accelerate their developmental endeavours. Partnerships in water and sanitation, minerals and metals, oil and gas, small and medium enterprises, construction, agriculture and food processing, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, etc. were also discussed.
Access to funds in conformity with the project’s ability to service, is a critical factor for the development of project partnerships. An enabling environment aided by the financial sector is very important for realising projects undertaken. The conclave provided for project-specific discussion with bankers from Africa, supported by representatives of India from the Ministry of Finance, Government of India, EXIM Bank and ECGC.
The conclave hopes to accelerate South-South partnership. The development partnerships are seen as a roadmap for further engagements with the countries of Africa. The Partnership Summit was a unique networking forum, designed to bring together Indian and overseas business leaders. The platform facilitated interaction and workout strategies to forge mutually beneficial partnerships at various levels.
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