Question

Write a note on India’s relations with Africa.

Answer 1

In the first few decades after independence, India supported the fight against apartheid and provided financial and material aid to liberation struggles in Africa for eg., the AFRICA Fund created at the NAM Summit (Harare).

There are several issues in the context of India-African relations

1. The India-Africa summit was held in 2015.
2. About 24 percent of Indian crude oil imports are sourced from the African continent e.g., ONGC Videsh has invested in Sudan and Egypt.
3. About two million people in Eastern and Southern Africa constitute the India diaspora which is considered as an asset by the Indian government.
4. Indian industries are interested in offering technological and material services to developing African nations.
5. India continues to be one of the military training destination e.g., National Defence Academy, Pune has the 'Sudan Block' as a symbol of cooperation between India and Sudan.
6. Countries from Somalia to South Africa fall under the India maritime strategic perspective. Hence, cases of terrorism and piracy in Somalian waters have made this region sensitive to Indian concerns.