New Delhi: As global power structures undergo structural realignment, the India–Africa engagement is increasingly positioned not merely as historical solidarity, but as a forward-looking partnership shaping a more equitable and multipolar global order, according to delegates at a conference held by the Chintan Research Foundation (CRF) here on Monday.
In the keynote address at the event, the Ministry of External Affairs’s Secretary (Economic Relations), Sudhakar Dalela, said: “The turbulent times we are living in, accompanied by disruption of supply chains, ask for south-south cooperation in energy transition and climate action.”
Further underscoring Africa’s centrality in India’s economic diplomacy and South–South cooperation framework, his address encompassed the increasing Indian diplomatic footprint in Africa, and specified that India-Africa solidarity is characterised by India’s principle of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family)”.
The day-long conference with the theme: “India–Africa Partnership in a Changing Global Order” was organised by the CRF in collaboration with the USANAS Foundation, Udaipur. It brought together ambassadors, senior diplomats, policymakers, scholars, and strategic analysts to deliberate on the evolving contours of India–Africa engagement amid a rapidly transforming global landscape.
Panellists emphasised that the India–Africa partnership needs to expand into newer areas like digitisation, critical minerals and climate action, while strengthening the partnership in aspects such as trade, people-to-people linkages and security challenges.
Welcoming the delegates, CRF President Shishir Priyadarshi, and USANAS Foundation Founder & CEO, Dr Abhinav Pandya, emphasised that India-Africa must strengthen its relationship, especially in trade. The current fragmentation within the global order is marred by trade unpredictability that will hurt the growth in India-Africa partnership. They stressed the historical aspects of India-Africa partnership and emphasised the need for robust global institutions and security structures with an aim of South-South cooperation.
During the discussions, panellists highlighted that the strengthening of India-Africa partnership in trade, technology and transnational connectivity creates various opportunities and challenges. As India and Africa have already surpassed $100 billion in trade in 2024–25, with both sides targeting $200 billion by 2030, it was emphasised that India should engage with Africa more cohesively in order to further enhance the trade.
High Commissioner of South Africa to India and former G20 and BRICS Sherpa Anil Sooklal highlighted three key aspects of technological cooperation, which include sharing innovations in the agriculture sector towards food security and assistance in capacity building and skill development, to be considered in the fourth India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS). While exploring the transformative potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), he underlined that India needs to have a concrete blueprint in terms of engagement with the larger Africa.
While discussing the evolution of India–Africa industrial cooperation, it was pointed out that India’s role in Africa’s industrialisation is significant as India offers a combination of finance, know-how, and skills.
Ambassador Anil Wadhawa highlighted that the India–Africa cooperation in technology, ports, and infrastructure is not just about building assets, rather it is about co-architecting futures in a changing global order. There was also a need for co-sharing India’s experience of digitisation, he added.
The conference also explored ways to strengthen and navigate the India–Africa partnership within the contemporary global landscape.
Ambassador of Burkina Faso to India, Dr Desire Boniface Some, Ambassador of Burkina Faso to India stated that with President Donald Trump coming to power in the US, there is an emergence of a new structure in the world order. Within the emerging global order, it is essential to focus on how India–Africa cooperation can deliver mutually beneficial, win-win outcomes.
The deliberations also ventured into the possibilities of how the India–Africa partnership can be strengthened within the great power engagement in Africa. The speakers acknowledged that the inclusion of the African Union into G20 was a big success in the India–Africa partnership, while addressing the strategic convergence, especially under the dynamic global order.
(IANS)
