India Revives Africa Outreach as Modi Meets Leaders at BRICS Summit
On the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit, PM Modi held talks with leaders from Ethiopia, South Africa, Burundi, Uganda and Nigeria, discussing the India-Africa Forum Summit and bilateral partnerships.
India has moved to restart wide-ranging engagement with African nations, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi holding a series of meetings with leaders from the continent on the margins of the 18th BRICS Summit, which concluded on Sunday.
The outreach follows the postponement of the India-Africa Forum Summit, which was put off because of the Ebola crisis.
On Saturday, Mr. Modi hosted Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali. The External Affairs Ministry said the two leaders held discussions aimed at further strengthening their bilateral Strategic Partnership and reviewed progress in economic cooperation, defence and security ties, and capacity building. They also exchanged views on regional and global developments.
At the BRICS Summit, the Ethiopian Prime Minister projected his country as a frontrunner in digital public infrastructure in Africa and called on the world to prepare for disruptions. He said Africa should help build the next generation of artificial intelligence, which would require research, computing capacity, skills and institutions capable of leading that work.
Mr. Modi met South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday and reviewed the state of bilateral relations. The New Delhi Declaration, issued a day earlier, took note of the racial injustice Africans have suffered historically and of a Brazilian-South African plan to establish an international panel on inequality. It also referred to decolonisation and Asian-African solidarity as displayed at the Bandung conference of 1955, and specifically mentioned the South Africa-initiated legal process at the International Court of Justice against Israel over its military campaign in the Gaza Strip. Acknowledging South Africa's leading role in holding Israel accountable, the declaration said the proceedings reaffirmed Israel's legal obligation to ensure the provision of humanitarian aid in Gaza.
In his talks with Mr. Ramaphosa, Mr. Modi reviewed the multi-faceted strategic partnership between India and Africa. The two leaders exchanged views on a range of global issues of mutual interest and agreed to maintain close coordination in multilateral fora, the Ministry said.
India had also invited the President of Burundi, Evariste Ndayishimiye, in his capacity as Chairperson of the African Union. Mr. Modi hosted him on Sunday and discussed the possibility of hosting the India-Africa Forum Summit early. A Ministry statement said the two sides acknowledged that the India-African Union partnership is a key pillar of cooperation within the Global South. President Ndayishimiye acknowledged India's assistance to African health authorities in dealing with the Ebola crisis, while Mr. Modi appreciated Africa's successful handling of the outbreak. Agricultural modernisation, healthcare and capacity-building initiatives were also discussed.
Mr. Modi also met dignitaries from Uganda and Nigeria, both invited to the New Delhi summit as partner countries. He met Ugandan Vice President Jessica Rose Epel Alupo and reaffirmed India's support for the country's Vision 2040 for a prosperous Uganda, with discussions covering technology partnerships, capacity building, investment facilitation and private sector collaboration. In his meeting with Nigerian Vice-President Kashim Shettima Mustapha, the two sides discussed initiatives in trade, defence, agriculture, health and digital technologies.