Addressing
the Joint Session of the Nigerian National Assem bly in October
2007, first by an Indian Prime Minister in the last 45 years,
Manmohan Singh was unequivocal on India's stance on Africa's
resurgence on the world map. "We (India) seek to become
a close partner in Africa's resurgence," he said. New
Delhi has not wasted any time in translating words into action.
In March this year, the Prime Minister unveiled a blueprint
for boosting its relationship with the African region. Nigeria
is already India's largest trading partner in Africa. The
first India-Africa Forum, a two-day summit, touted as India's
most important diplomatic event this year, held in New Delhi,
was attended by eight heads of African states and delegations
from 14 African countries. The event focused on ways to boost
relations between the two sides in areas of trade, agriculture
and human resources. The Prime Minister chose the occasion
to announce duty-free access to Indian markets for the world's
50 Least Developed Countries (LDCs), 34 of which are in Africa,
comprising 92.5% of all LDC exports, including diamonds, cotton,
cocoa, aluminum ore and copper ore, in a gesture to show India's
continued concern for the continent.
The
two countries which share a deep and long history of ties
that go beyond the realms of business, however, are now putting
greater emphasis on furthering economic and commercial ties.
The efforts have shown good results. Economic ties between
India and Africa are burgeoning rapidly, with bilateral trade
estimated to have touched $30 bn in 2007-08. The economic
partnership spans diverse sectors, including agriculture,
small and medium enterprises, health, education, infrastructure,
information technology and communications, automobiles, manufacturing
and development of railways. The Prime Minister has emphasized
the need for a `new architecture' in relations. However, the
country's political bosses are now looking beyond mere gestures
as they mean serious business—a change in the mindset
that critics attribute to India's growing worry over China's
recent headways in its economic and commercial ties with the
region. |
