Ishika Agarwal
India and Africa were once part of the same supercontinent, Gondwana. Ever since then, they have been comrades as ‘countries in arms’. They share the same vegetation more or less, and have always been regarded as siblings. They shape the economic, political and cultural foundation of an Afro-Indian alliance. Some of the descendants of African emigrants in India are known as Siddis who came in the 10th century and their progeny still live in different parts of India. Gandhiji began his struggle for freedom in Africa and India has always been in the forefront of the movement for independence and sovereignty of the African countries.
The relations between India and Africa have long historical roots and long colonial heritage. For many centuries, the peoples of the two parts of the world have interacted at the levels of economics, politics, and socio-cultural practices. Economically, there have been trade transactions in both natural and human resources. Politically, India, just like many African countries, was once a former British colony, for over two centuries. India has a long history of partnership with Africa, with solidarity and political affinity going back to the early 1920s when both regions were fighting against colonial rule and oppression. India’s freedom movement had an internationalist outlook; many Indian nationalists viewed the struggle for independence as part of the worldwide movement against imperialism. The (at that time) newly independent Indian government also helped African nationalist movements to achieve their goals. On the socio-cultural scene, there has been exchange of ideas, education opportunities, religious beliefs, and medical drugs and equipment over the years.
In the 1980s, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi supported the struggle of the African countries against apartheid in South Africa. Rajiv Gandhi constituted the Africa Fund to provide technical assistance to the Frontline States and to counter the depredations unleashed against them by the South African regime of the time.
One of the most significant aspects of the India-Africa partnership has been the offer of concessional credit under the Indian Development and Economic Assistance Scheme for implementing a range of projects as per the economic and social priorities of African countries in areas where Indian companies have relevant expertise. In the last decade, a total of almost $9 billion in concessional credit has been approved for nearly 140 projects in more than 40 African countries. During the last three years alone nearly 25,000 young Africans have been trained and educated in India in areas such as IT, renewable energy, agriculture, marine and aeronautical engineering, marine hydrography, SME entrepreneurship, rural development, parliamentary affairs, logistics and management, climate change adaptation, disaster management, cyber security, forensic sciences, and defence and security, among others.
The India-Africa Forum Summit held in October,2015 adopted a Framework for Strategic Cooperation and decided to establish a regular, formal monitoring mechanism to review its implementation within an agreed timeframe. The summit meetings have facilitated air and maritime connectivity. India has committed $7.4 billion in concessional credit and $1.2 billion in grants since the first India-Africa Summit of 2008, which are being used to create 100 capacity building institutions and developing infrastructure, public transport, clean energy, irrigation, agriculture and manufacturing capacity across Africa. The people of the two continents are working together to promote inclusive globalisation and more equitable global economy and polity.
After India’s Independence, the two countries have only grown cordial and congenial. Apart from the individual Indian traders, who began operating in Africa during the colonial period, in the post-colonial era, Indian companies opened and operated successful businesses in Africa. India has exported textiles, foodstuffs, tea, spices, sugar, footwear, blankets, sewing machines, paper, plastics, drugs, and bicycles, among others. When African countries faced economic hardships from the late 1970s onwards, India was at the forefront to help find long-lasting solutions. This included convening the Non-Aligned Summit in 1979, in Havana, Cuba. The Caracas Program of Action followed this in May 1981. The aim of these initiatives was to encourage South-South cooperation. The Indian government worked with African governments to mitigate the economic downturn, and to revive the most significant sectors in their respective economies. The main areas of interaction were in agriculture, technical assistance, and trade.
There are three elements to India’s trade relations with Africa- increasing the volume of imports and exports; government support to the private sector. Bilateral trade jumped from $5.3 billion in 2001 to $12 billion in 2005 to $70 billion in 2013. That is greater than India’s bilateral trade with the US. US African exports have been growing yearly at 32.2% while India exports are growing at 23.6%.
On the political scene, India continued to side with the extension of human rights and democratic governments in Africa. It was for that reason that for instance, India severed diplomatic ties with South Africa once the Apartheid system was launched by the National Party in that country. India also extended economic sanctions against the South African government, until the 1990s. India also fought against the minority regimes in Angola, Mozambique, and South Rhodesia, following the enactment of the Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) in 1965. When the Congo crisis broke out between 1960 and 1965, India also sent thousands of its troops to help return the country to conditions of peace and stability. Over the years, India has also provided guidance to African electoral bodies on conducting elections in democratic systems.
India-Africa cooperation has also focused on techno-economic capacity building. Skill development and capacity building featured prominently in all the India-Africa Forum Summits, and in a speech to the Ugandan parliament in 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated India’s commitment to building African capacity: “Our development partnership will be guided by your priorities. It will be on terms that will be comfortable for you, that will liberate your potential and not constrain your future. We will rely on African talent and skills. We will build as much local capacity and create as many local opportunities as possible.
There have been bilateral high-level exchange visits between Indian leaders and those of African countries, including at the top level of the prime minister and state president. For instance, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was one of the first world leaders to visit the then newly independent Sudan in July 1957. On the part of the Sudanese government, Prime Minister and later President of Sudan, Ismail El Azhari, also paid state visits to India in 1955 and 1967. India also helped reduce the illiteracy levels in Africa by building universities and creating a strong cultural foundation. India and Africa have often held common positions in global platforms and worked together to guard the interests of other developing countries. They have moved joint proposals, such as the Agricultural Framework Proposal and Protection of Geographical Indications, at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and World Intellectual Property Organisation, and have worked towards protecting the food and livelihood concerns of farmers at the Doha Development Round of WTO negotiations.
In the late 20th century and early 21st century, especially in the aftermath of the Cold War, India has utilized these long-term relations to take advantage of Africa’s economic and geopolitical base. Similarly, African governments have found a reliable ally in the Indian government, through its continued support in economic, political, and socio-cultural arenas. One needs not to go further than to appreciate the three India-Africa Forum Summits (IAFS) held since 2008 to display these cordial relations. The current Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, champions the Indian government’s foreign policy toward Africa called ‘Multi-Alignment Foreign Policy’. It emphasizes the Indian government’s role to engage with regional multilateral institutions and the use of strategic partnerships. It has allowed India to boost its economic development and national security, while at the same time also allowing India to maintain economic and political ties with African states. Different subcontinental statistics depict that India is Africa’s third largest trading ally. It accounts for over 7% of Africa’s trade output, calculated at almost $70 billion.
In security matters, India has also assisted African countries to fight against terrorism through the training of military personnel. President Narendra Modi has been visiting Africa to promote and increase maritime security. India is playing a key role in harnessing the sustainable marine ecosystem and its resources. An essential developmental co-operation is being imbued to accept the ‘Blue Economy’. India also participated in UN led peacekeeping missions throughout Africa. As the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to affect the globe, the relatively developed India has also used its economic muscle, medical equipment, and medicine to assist African countries. The availability of Indian-manufactured drugs has also been crucial in the fight against the HIV and AIDS pandemic in Africa. These relations must surely continue, as they remain beneficial to the peoples of both India and Africa, and not just at the elite level.
There are many challenges threatening to break the sensitive thread of friendship between the two subcontinents. Ethnic and religious conflicts and governance issues in some countries make foreign contributors aversive to venture in the region. India’s substantive presence in Africa has remained marginal as it focused on its own periphery through much of the Cold War period which limited its capabilities. Since the end of the Cold War China’s presence has grown in Africa, who has been providing soft loans to African states which has resulted in Chinese growing influence in the continent.
For example, there has been tension between India and Africa regarding the Non-Aligned Movement. For the past 7 years, the NAM Summits have not been a big priority for India. Ever since India has been regarded as an intermediate developing country, it has stopped focusing on its partners, the ‘third-world’ countries. Countries such as Ethiopia, Ghana, Uganda, Democratic Republic Of The Congo, Zambia, Kenya, etc. which were good partners of India have now been experiencing light resentment against India’s new priorities. The Prime Minister Of India has not attended the last few NAM Summits, and the Vice President has been participating in them instead. Since it was inaugurated in 1961, the Indian Prime Minister has always attended the NAM summit, except once in 1979, when Chaudhury Charan Singh was the caretaker PM and hence missed it. Because India was such a huge part of founding the Movement, it is not considered right how India is not devoting full attention in such areas. When asked, External Affairs Ministry officials denied that the government’s decision to send Vice-President Naidu represented a “downgrade” of India’s representation at the 120-member movement, which began with the “Bandung Process” in 1956 by India, Indonesia, former Yugoslavia, Egypt and other countries.
Another hurdle jeopardising India and Africa’s relations is racism and discrimination based on color. Even though India and Africa are close partners, it doesn’t stop discrimination. There have been many cases in India where people from Nigeria, South Africa, and Uganda have been publicly humiliated because of their complexion. Such revolts have often led to violence, including numerous deaths. Being called hateful words such as ‘negro’, ‘cannibal’, ‘black’, etc. has led to greater disparity which was thought to have ended in 1991 at the end of ‘apartheid’. Similarly, the treatment is repeated with Indians in Africa.
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