Page 44 - Diplomatists Nov

SP E CIAL REPOR T

EMERGING AVENUES FOR
INDIA-AFRICA COOPERATION This gives India an advantage and will enable it to forge its
IN TRADE AND INVESTMENT own path in Africa despite the presence of the United States,
China and the European Union. India can make greater use
of its diaspora in Africa as both a facilitator of goodwill and
BY CHRISTOPHER EDYEGU*
as an entry point for engagement.
Second, another emerging avenue for India-Africa
ndia and Africa are natural allies because to their shared cooperation is the ambitious India-Japan-Africa Growth
Icultural and historic ties. Despite sharing commonalities, Corridor (IJAGC). The proposed IJAGC project is a joint
India-Africa have underperformed with regards to trade and Indo-Japanese effort aimed at building infrastructure in Africa

India finds itself playing catch-up to China in Africa. With and is a maritime corridor, built on (pre)existing routes with
a combined population of 2.5 billion people and a gross India, combining Indian soft power in Africa with Japanese

domestic product of $5.5 trillion, there are multiple emerging financial backing. The IJAGC represents India’s largest
opportunities for India and Africa to deepen cooperation and undertaking in Africa and is a bold effort in counteracting

investment. These will be explored in this article. Chinese dominance on the continent – and its Belt and Road
In 2016, India became Africa’s second most important Initiative (BRI) which stretches to Africa.
trade partner after China. Additionally, African exports to Third, education is another very important avenue. India
India are growing at an average annual rate of about 32%, has wisely adopted a similar strategy with its e-Vidya Bharati
while Indian exports to the continent are growing at 24%. and the e-Aarogya Bharati initiatives with the objective
With such positive trade growth figures, India has overtaken of awarding 15,000 scholarships to African students from

even former colonial powers such as France and Britain in 2019 through to 2024. Like the US and China, in educating
Africa. promising students, India could have the goodwill and the
In recent years, the driving force behind the rapid growth ear of future African elites.
in India-African trade has been India’s growing appetite for Fourth, while India pursues global leadership ambitions
primary commodities and national resources (particularly - and given its renewed commitment to Africa - it can speak
oil for its growing energy needs) as its economy grew. The on behalf of the continent and countries in the Global South.
urgent need for raw materials and oil was a major factor in A rising and increasingly influential India can help enable

engaging Africa. greater African agency while pursuing its own interests
Indian-African ties are being reinvigorated under the concurrently.
leadership of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Lastly, India and Africa could also collaborate in other
Modi regime has also made concrete steps in establishing avenues such as “medical services, agriculture and digital
a line of credit to African countries, as a form of the technologies to narrow inequality and empower more people
development cooperation. India has extended 181 chains with online education” and “address sustainable development
of credit, totalling $12-billion to 41 African countries for that both regions needed in a mutually benefi cial way”.
development of projects.
That strategy was made evident in Modi’s address before *Author is teaching assistant and PhD candidate
the Ugandan parliament in July 2018, where the Prime (international relations) at the University of Cape Town in
minister outlined 10 key priorities of India’s engagement in South Africa. His research focuses on China-Africa relations,

Africa. These principles can be categorized into categories particularly China’s efforts in facilitating the development of
of “trade, investment, climate change, security/terrorism, African manufacturing.
digitalization, agriculture, and aid/development”. These
principles are multidimensional and favour multilateralism
rather than bi-lateral relations with individual African
countries. With that in mind, it is necessary to explore two of
those principles, trade and investment - particularly emerging
avenues for India-Africa cooperation.
First, through its long-established and well-integrated
diaspora, India can seek greater engagement with Africa.

44 • Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Diplomatist • Vol 8 • Issue 9 • November 2020, Noida