March 21, 2018
The new Indian missions in nations such as Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Mauritania, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Somalia will increase the number of Resident Indian Missions in Africa from 29 to 47
This will enhance India's diplomatic outreach in the African continent and allow India to engage with the Indian diaspora in African countries, besides creating lucrative business opportunities
The Indian Government has been deeply invested in the development of African nations through crucial infrastructure, skill development, health and nutrition as well as financing programmes
In 2015, PM Narendra Modi had announced a concessional credit line of US$10 billion to Africa in the coming five years; Africa-India trade is estimated to reach US$120 billion by 2020-21
India’s Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the opening of 18 new diplomatic missions in Africa over a four-year period spanning 2018-2021. The new Indian missions in Africa will be opened in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Swaziland and Togo. The move will increase the number of Resident Indian Missions in Africa from 29 to 47. This will enhance India’s diplomatic outreach in the African continent and allow India to engage with the Indian diaspora in African countries. Opening of new Missions is also a step towards implementing the vision of enhanced cooperation and engagement with Africa.
India is a trusted, long-standing partner of several growing African countries. The Indian Government has been deeply invested in the development of these nations through crucial infrastructure, skill development, health and nutrition and financing programmes. To expand this cooperation, in 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced a concessional credit line of US$10 billion to Africa in the coming five years. Last year, India had also hosted the 52nd Annual Meeting of the African Development Bank. Africa is a major export market for a cross-section of Indian products, with Africa-India trade estimated to reach US$120 billion by 2020-21, including export volume of over US$70 billion. The developing ties have offered lucrative investment opportunities for both Indian and African entities.
Along with Japan, India has launched the Asia-Africa Growth Corridor to expand economic cooperation with the governments of African countries. The partnership is aiming ambitious projects to create opportunities in the sector. Earlier this month, India hosted the first formal meeting of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) – a platform of more than 120 nations to promote solar energy projects worldwide. African countries represent a chunk of the member states. The ISA aims to mobilise investment of over US$1 trillion from public and private sources to instal more than 1,000 GW of solar generation capacity worldwide by 2030. African states will be among the nations to benefit the most from this programme. These initiatives can potentially unlock vast opportunities for a wide range of stakeholders.