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The India-Africa Forum Summit in New Delhi held from 04-09 April 2008 came out with a big bang Framework of Cooperation and a Declaration (Delhi Declaration) asserting India’s desire to take India-Africa ties to new heights.
India’s first ever summit with 14 African countries had a three-tier structure. The officials met on 04 April, the Foreign Ministers on 07 April, and the Summit took place on 08 April.
A multicultural and multimedia show kicked off the summit. A song-and-dance extravaganza, choreographed on the lines of a similar show presented at the SAARC Summit in New Delhi last year under the aegis of the Indian Council of Cultural Relations regaled the delegates.
Inaugurating the two-day summit, Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh stressed the intensification of trade, investments, energy security, capacity building, and infrastructure development as key components of India’s engagement with the African countries.
Pranab Mukherjee, India’s External Affairs Minister in his key-note address said, “India has over the years shared with Africa its developmental experiences and is committed to continue such cooperation in areas of its strength.”
At the grand finale of the summit came Delhi Declaration and Africa India Framework for Cooperation, which constituted the ‘blue print’ for their relations in the 21st century.
Big Partners
The countries participated were Algeria, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Libya, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda, and Zambia. Various heads of sub-regional groups like the South African Development Community (SADC), Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), and Economic Community for West African States (ECOWAS) also attended.
According to Anand Sharma, India’s Minister of State for External Affairs, “The summit helped in crystallising partnership and opened new pathways of cooperation between the two sides. It stepped up the pace and spirit of India-Africa ties to greater momentum.” He stressed on the ‘historic and time-tested’ ties between India and various countries of the African continent. Underlining India’s thrust on sharing technology and expertise with Africa and the helping the continent in areas of education and human resource development, the minister emphasised the unique nature of India-Africa engagement, which is different from that of others
Philosophy of the Summit
According to Ministry of external Affairs sources, India and Africa share a historic relationship that has now grown into a sustainable partnership. From India’s struggle against colonialism and apartheid, it has extended to jointly accept the challenges of a globalising world. Be it threats to international peace and security, the threats from international terrorism or the scourge of poverty, India and Africa always traverse the same path, share the same values and cherish the same dreams.
India has a vision for the partnership with Africa for the 21st century. This vision takes India and Africa beyond strong bilateral relationships towards closer ties with regional economic communities so as to develop a new paradigm of cooperation that will address Africa’s own aspirations for Pan-African institutions and development programme.
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Delhi Declaration
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A ‘Delhi Declaration’ adopted at the end of the summit pledged to tighten relationships between India and African nations. Both sides declared that they would work together to protect the interest of developing countries on issues such as trade negotiations, reform of global institutions, and climate change.
Presented as political document, the declaration covered bilateral issues as well as regional and international interests to both India and Africa, including common positions on UN reforms, WTO and international terrorism. According to MEA, the areas on which the two sides have agreed to focus include human resources and institutional capacity building, education, S&T, agricultural productivity and food security, industrial growth, including small and medium enterprises and minerals, health sector, infrastructure, ICT, and establishment of judicial systems with police and defense establishments under civilian control. |
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India’s Largesse
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India played host to the presidents of five African states and senior leaders of nine other countries, and announced export tariffs cuts to benefit 34 of Africa’s 53 countries.
Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh said: “India wishes to see the 21st century as the century of Asia and Africa with the people of the two continents working together to promote inclusive globalisation.”
The PM more than doubled financial credit to Africa to US$5.4 billion in the next five years from US$2.1 billion in the preceding five years. Dr. Singh also offered to partner Africa in developing agriculture, infrastructure, education and small-scale industry along with information technology and said half a billion dollars would be handed out in project aid.
He also announced a slew of measures, including preferential market access for exports. Products covered by the tariff concessions include cotton, cocoa, aluminium ore, copper ore, readymade garments and non-industrial diamonds. |
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