India-Africa Relations

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India ropes in Tharoor for diplomacy with Africa

New Delhi, (IANS) India Thursday once again relied on the diplomacy skills of former minister of state for external affairs Shashi Tharoor to impress upon the African continent to forge science and technology (S&T) partnerships with it.

At the India-Africa S&T Ministers Conference and Tech Expo here, Tharoor, who as minister was responsible for bilateral ties with Africa, was at his best. He impressed upon the Indian and African delegations that the two are facing the same challenges of development and, hence, it was natural for them to come together to find common solutions for critical issues such as affordable healthcare, climate change, energy, food and water security.

His days as the Under Secretary-General at the United Nations and his experience in international diplomacy coming in handy, the Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram switched effortlessly between speaking in English and French, a language that peoples of several African nations converse in.

"India and Africa have had long and close relations for many years, going back to shared experience of colonialism and, subsequently, our strong movements against colonialism and apartheid," he recalled.

"We have moved beyond that. We have moved on to a relationship of independent countries, prosperous and prospering, and also facing genuine challenges of development. We are facing these challenges in a globalising world, in which the interdependence of nations remains, absolutely, the fundamental principle," Tharoor told the gathering, co-chaired by African Union's Human Resources and S&T Commissioner Prof. Jean Pierre O Ezin.

"Given the various challenges and the pluralism of our societies"¦given the compatibility of our values and our tendency to face challenges that might daunt others, India and Africa have every reason to mount a credible partnership in the 21st Century," said the former minister, who was instrumental in launching the India-Africa Initiative.

Noting that science and technology is only one aspect of a multi-faced relationship between India and Africa, Tharoor said it is an "extremely important" one, considering the aspirations of the peoples of both sides in looking at the 21st century with "confidence and competence" to take advantage of what the future offers.

Under the S&T Initiative, India and Africa have implemented various programmes and projects, with ministries of external affairs and science and technology working closely to strengthen the relationship.

Tharoor particularly referred to the India-Africa Forum Summits in 2008 and 2010, which laid the foundation for the consolidation of the strategic partnership.

"Given that our strategic partnership is based on fundamental principles of equality, mutual respect, mutual benefit and historical understandings among the two peoples, it is extremely valuable that we have turned to S&T as an effective catalyst for social development and economic transformation of our peoples and our nations," he said.

"The truth is that we all understand, I believe, that S&T is possibly the single most likely cause for the long-term rise of our nations and for the economic advancements of our peoples. Today, in the 21st Century, no country would rise and prosper without a significant and cutting edge progress in the domains of S&T," Tharoor noted.

"We don't believe that India and Africa have any reason to be left behind as the world marches forward in the 21st century," he added.

India ropes in Tharoor for diplomacy with Africa | Northern Voices Online: NVO News Blog

 

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22,000 new scholarships for African students in various academic courses: Preneet Kaur

New Delhi, Mar 1 (ANI): Highlighting India's commitment to development in Africa, Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur said here on Thursday that 22,000 new scholarships for African students in various academic courses and training programmes, including special agriculture scholarships and C.V. Raman fellowships have been made available.

Kaur, who was addressing the inaugural session of India-Africa Science and Technology Ministerial Conference, said proposals for the institutional strengthening of identified institutions in Africa and the transfer of need based technologies have also been initiated.

"There is a provision for 22,000 new scholarships for African students in various academic courses and training programmes including special agriculture scholarships and C.V. Raman fellowships," said Kaur.

"As per India's commitment to assist African countries in the field of Science and Technology, proposals for institutional strengthening of identified institutions in Africa and transfer of need based technologies have also been initiated," she added.

She informed that her ministry has duly secured approvals from the Union Cabinet to support these initiatives through its "Aid to Africa" budget.

Kaur also said that India has successfully implemented the Pan-African e-Network Project, including tele-education, tele-medicine and connectivity between leaders in 47 African countries and an agreement has also been signed for its implementation in the 48th country, South Sudan recently.

Under the framework of the Science and Technology Initiatives for Africa, Department of Science and Technology in partnership with Ministry of External Affairs organised the 'India-Africa Science and Technology Ministers Conference'.

This major ministerial level event has being organised in close coordination with the African Union Commission and is being attended by science and technology ministers from across the African continent along with senior official from various countries. he event is expected to provide a platform for the advocacy, outreach and commitment of India under the framework of the New Science and Technology Cooperation Initiative with Africa.

The ministerial conference also intends to help to develop linkages and also secure the interests and commitments of the African partners to this Indian initiative. (ANI)

22,000 new scholarships for African students in various academic courses: Preneet Kaur

 

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India must accelerate exports to Middle East & Africa via trade agreements & industry cooperation

Accelerating India's export growth to the Middle East and Africa (MEA) provides an opportunity to add 1-2 percentage points of GDP growth to our economy. India's exports to MEA went up seven times over the 2004 level to about $60 billion in 2010.

This was significantly faster than India's overall exports, which went up about five times to $250 billion at the same time. The share of this region in India's total exports has gone up from about 18% to almost 25%.

We still have barely scratched the surface of MEA's true potential. In years when retaining the 8%+ GDP growth is such a challenge, focusing on MEA exports makes a whole lot of sense.

Currently, our exports to MEA are lopsided, with about half our exports going to a single country, the UAE.

This fact seems odd, considering the UAE is one of the smallest countries in MEA in terms of population, till we understand that the UAE plays a role as a trade conduit to other countries in the region.

However, it also shows the enormous potential we have if we market our products and services directly to these countries.

Iran, which is one of the largest markets in the region, contributes a tiny $2 billion, or 3%, to our exports to the region. Iran has exceptional potential and it is a culture Indian businesses can intuitively relate to and thrive in.

It is critical that our industry and government make a concerted effort to export more to this country, regardless of political issues. There is no reason why Iran itself cannot import another $7-10 billion per year.

Iraq and Sudan deserve specific focus: they are recovering from years of strife, but have the potential for consuming high levels of products and services. Indian businesses need to enter quickly and boldly to service their market requirements.

In North Africa, besides obvious markets like Egypt, we have new emerging markets like Tunisia and Algeria, all with tremendous potential. Sub-Saharan Africa is also a high potential cluster of markets.

In terms of products, while cotton and yarn still have a significant share of the pie, now India's exports to these markets are more diversified and go well beyond primary goods: gems and jewellery to the UAE or pharmaceuticals to Africa, India has definitely moved up the ladder in terms of exporting products that are more value-added.

But we need to move further up to increase our value added per transaction. Gems and jewellery, machinery, pharmaceuticals, etc, must continue to expand swiftly. But IT services must play a very large role. So too must branded consumer products, education services, entertainment and middle-to-higher-level consultancy.

A longer-term strategic approach is necessary, not an opportunistic one, for Indian companies to enter and grow in MEA markets. The first few recommendations essentially involve grouping the markets into workable clusters, else they appear too small and are lost in the search for bigger scales. Now, one can argue that for accelerating growth, some sectors and industries have to go deeper into clusters and take a country/intensive approach.

It is akin to companies operating in India who earlier broadly divided the country into a few regions for market analysis but have now detailed strategies for states and districts. A company should also approach two or three clusters or markets at a time mainly to balance risk.

Going forward, we would also need to understand markets and consumers in depth far more than we do now. There is tremendous scope for good market research to allow companies to find the sweet spots and adapt their product offering, pricing as well as their marketing and communication strategy to what consumers really want.

Leveraging our ability to understand and market to a diverse country like India is a huge strength to establishing competitive advantage in MEA. In that context, the MEA opportunity might not really be one for our existing export giants - the IT service providers, apparel manufacturers and others - who are so focused and reliant on the developed economies for their growth.

MEA would be an interesting distraction for them, not a life-and-death passion. Alternatively, they should create separate subsidiaries to focus on these markets if they want to capitalise on their potential. The role is also open for our strong domestic players as well as new entrants who can leverage our strengths but are free to focus on MEA as a region without the baggage of other markets.

Finally, we need to ensure that the growth of exports is accompanied with an approach of contributing to the countries we are exporting to, so the relationship that is built is a win-win for them as well. Trade agreements, etc, at the government level as well as closer cooperation at the industry level and great sensitivity at the operating level would be key to making these initiatives work sustainably.

India's exports to MEA are already more than India's total global exports just 10 years ago! It shows the enormous potential of this region and why it should be top priority.

India must accelerate exports to Middle East & Africa via trade agreements & industry cooperation - The Economic Times

 

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India plans to boost security co-operation with East Africa

DEFENSE MINISTER YUSUF HAJI TOLD JOURNALISTS IN NAIROBI THAT BOTH REGIONS SHARE COMMON SECURITY CONCERNS IN THE INDIAN OCEAN

SPECIAL REPORT BY XINHUA CORRESPONDENT RONALD NJOROGE

NAIROBI (Xinhua) -- East Africa and India will increase cooperation in order to improve security on the Indian Ocean, a senior Kenyan government official said on Monday.

Defense Minister Yusuf Haji told journalists in Nairobi that both regions share common security concerns in the Indian Ocean.

"East African countries and India will increase cooperation in order to tackle insecurity in the Indian Ocean which is mainly caused by piracy and terrorism," Haji said when he officially opened the international symposium on East Africa-India relations.

The two-day symposium was jointly organized by the Centre for Security Studies, Kenya National Defense College and the Policy Research Institute of African Studies in India.

"The two regions will explore areas of deeper understanding and identify which sectors can be operationalized for the common benefit of both regions," he said.

Haji said that forum will discuss emerging perspectives in India's relations with the East African region as part of greater south-south cooperation.

"Indian Diaspora in East Africa play a very significant role in promoting India-Africa relations," the defense minister said.

University of Mumbai's Centre for African Studies Professor Aparajita Biswas said that the Indian Ocean is of direct interest to India as it forms part of the country strategic maritime frontiers which extends from the Persian Gulf to the east coast of Africa and across the Malacca strait.

"A lot of Indian trade passes through the Indian ocean as it heads to its export markets and therefore its security is paramount," she said.

She said that Indian foreign policy was realigned to reflect the growing importance of the region. She added that the economic boom in India has made the country build foreign excess reserves which could form part of foreign direct investment into East Africa.

"We are pushing for more people to people interaction across the two regions in order to leverage existing ties brought about by huge India Diaspora population," she said. Biswas said that there are over 2.5 million people of Indian origin in Africa.

International Peace Support Training Centre Director Brigadier Robert Kibochi said that East Africa and India have common interests that cut across many sectors including trade, maritime security and peace operations.

"India has one of the largest contingents of UN Peace Keeping troops which are posted in DR Congo and South Sudan and are working closely with their counterparts from East Africa," he said.

Kibochi said that East Africa can therefore learn lessons from these peacekeeping missions.

"Opportunities to develop and cross fertilize experiences by India and the east Africa region in the service of peace could be mutually beneficial," he added.

"We are living in a globalized world and therefore no single country can tackle security alone.

"The increasingly blurred line between international security and domestic security has led the international community to engage more frequently into domestic conflicts," the director said.

U.S. International University lecturer of International Relations Professor Macharia Munene said that Kenya and India are regional powers separated by the Indian Ocean.

"Each can claim a share of the ocean and the resources in it but it is the attempt to safeguard those resources that the two countries are attracted to each other," Munene said.

"Their interests converge as both countries want to make the India Ocean as safe as possible," he said.

coastweek.com

 

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Indian group may trump Shell's gas bid for Cove Energy

ONGC, GAIL say participating in formal sale process

* Consortium may value Cove at 245 pence-a-share -media

* Bid would trump offers from Shell, Thailand's PTT

* Analysts not convinced about ONGC-GAIL joining bid war

* East Africa gas prospects draw intense interest

By Sumeet Chatterjee and Prashant Mehra

MUMBAI, Feb 28 (Reuters) - A consortium of Indian public-sector energy companies said they may join a bidding war for Africa-focused gas explorer Cove Energy, becoming the second Asian state-run group seeking to trump Shell's $1.6 billion offer.

A last-minute offer from Oil and Natural Gas Corp and GAIL India would pit them against Thai oil and gas group PTT and Royal Dutch Shell Plc in a race for the London-listed company's promising gas reserves in Mozambique.

"Given the potential of the asset, it would be a good acquisition," said Manish Sonthalia, fund manager at Motilal Oswal AMC, who doubted funding would be a problem.

"Shell is also bidding, so you have that much comfort on the asset and its potential."

Shell had hoped to make a pre-emptive move for Cove's prize among hot East Africa gas prospects by offering 195 pence per share for the company earlier this month, a 70 percent premium to the share price when Cove put itself up for sale on Jan. 5.

But Thailand's PTT beat that last Friday with a 220 pence bid, or $1.77 billion, and while analysts had doubts about the Indian firms' prospects, their interest highlights a quickening scramble for natural resources for fast-growing Asian economies.

Cove's main asset is an 8.5 percent stake in Mozambique's Rovuma Offshore Area 1, where another operator Anadarko said recoverable reserves could top 30 trillion cubic feet of natural gas -- equal to nearly half of Canada's proved reserves.

India's Bharat Petroleum Corp and Videocon Industries Ltd each own a 10 percent stake in the Rovuma block.

ONGC Videsh Ltd, the overseas investment arm of India's biggest oil and gas producer ONGC, and GAIL said they had made no decision on whether to bid for Cove, or on any terms.

The statement was in response to a Tuesday report by the Times of India newspaper, citing sources familiar with the matter, that the consortium could make a combined bid this week valuing Cove at 245 pence a share.

Cove's shares have surged since Shell's offer on Feb. 22, fuelled by anticipation of a bidding war.

The shares, which rose 1.8 percent on Tuesday to 239 pence, have more than doubled since the company's Jan. 5 announcement of a sale process and are up more than 50 percent since Shell announced its bid.

SCOUTING ABROAD

The Indian consortium's interest mirrors efforts by Indian steel, power and coal companies to scout for overseas coal mines to satisfy demand from the fast-growing economy, Asia's third largest.

But state-run companies such as Coal India, GAIL and ONGC have not been particularly successful in closing large overseas acquisitions in recent years and have shied away from bidding wars despite sitting on huge piles of cash.

"They are very cautious in their approach and it takes a lot of time for them to take government approvals while their rivals elsewhere make quick decisions," said Juergen Maiar, a Vienna-based fund manager with Raiffeisen Euroasien Aktien.

"Indian public sector firms like ONGC need to look for assets overseas to improve their production capacity but they haven't been very successful in this yet," said Maiar, who manages $300 million worth of Indian stocks including ONGC.

An Indian state consortium of five companies in January last year decided not to counter Rio Tinto's $3.9 billion bid for Australian coal miner Riversdale , after hiring a consultant and spending weeks weighing bid options.

ONGC's attempts to put off an agreed purchase of Imperial Energy in 2008, after oil prices collapsed and the sale price looked high, also undermined perceptions of Indian firms as committed buyers, analysts said. Chinese companies have a strong track record of successfully executing overseas acquisitions.

ONGC, which accounts for 79 percent of India's oil and gas production, said last month it was in discussions with U.S. energy major ConocoPhillips for a business partnership but talks were at a very nascent stage.

The company gave no details on the talks but media reports said they involved joint exploration in India and abroad.

The emerging battle over Cove reflects intense industry interest in East Africa, a previously little-explored area which is tipped to become a major natural gas producing region.

Energy companies are eyeing growing demand in Asia's fast-growing economies as well as in Japan, where gas imports have climbed as its nuclear reactors sit idle, unable to restart after routine maintenance given public safety fears stirred by the Fukushima nuclear crisis.

UPDATE 2-Indian group may trump Shell's gas bid for Cove Energy | Reuters

 

[addiction]

Africa is the future of world economy....they got ample of fertile but uncultivated land, blessed with enormous minerals"¦only need investment from the right group and good local administration...education and healthcare should be the priority of the people who are leading African people

 

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Bharti to replicate India business model in Africa

Bharti Airtel plans to replicate its Indian model in the African markets as the company seeks to grow faster, Airtel Africa Manoj Kohli, CEO (international) and joint MD of Bharti Airtel said.

In a ground-breaking move, Airtel in 2003 outsourced its entire backend operations to Ericsson to focus specifically on customer management and brand building, which has since become a norm for the industry across the world.

"Our focus is to build the brand and focus on customers. And in order to be able to free up our bandwidth for these focus areas, we want to outsource the entire managed services in Africa,' Kohli said.

Bharti Airtel is present in 16 African markets and the company plans to launch operations in Rwanda next month.

Kohli said the company would have invested $1.5 billion in network upgradation in Africa in this financial year and huge investment is in the pipeline for the next financial year as well. "We would have a fix on the figure soon," he said.

He said the company is investing heavily in that continent for capacity expansion, 3G rollout and extend coverage to new towns. "All the networks we took over from Zain had become obsolete and we need upgradation of hardware and software to be able to grow quickly," he said.

He refused to comment on the numerous litigations that the company is facing in Africa. "Such problems are part of the process when you acquire such huge assets," he said.

Kohli said dearth of skills had become a huge impediment for the company's growth plans. "We are trying to build skills locally and retain them. We are also getting people in from India to handle key tasks," he said.

(The correspondent's visit to Barcelona is being hosted by Ericsson)

Bharti to replicate India business model in Africa | mydigitalfc.com

 

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India inks $1 mn pact to train African craftswomen

The National Institute of Design and the external affairs ministry have inked a USD 1 million MoU to train and empower craftswomen in five African countries, it was announced here Wednesday.

In January, Commerce Minister Anand Sharma, during a meeting in Harare with his Zimbabwean counterpart Welshman Ncube, had said that the National Institute of Design (NID) was undertaking a project for the training and exposure for craftswomen of rural Africa to empower them through design intervention in basketry making, as part of the India-Africa Forum Summit Action Plan.

An MoU on this was signed in the capital between Gurjit Singh, additional secretary in the ministry of external affairs, and Pradyumna Vyas, director of the NID, an institute statement said.

The initiative will cover five African countries over a period of three years.

"This collaboration between the ancient civilizations with rich tradition in craft skills will further strengthen the bonds between India and Africa", the statement said.

An NID team will visit Zimbabwe to identify 25 craftswomen who would be trained in India in collaboration with New Basket Workshop Foundation, an African NGO. The project aims at women's empowerment through skill enhancement and appropriate marketing through leading Indian brands like Fab India.

India has assured that it will assist Zimbabwe in reviving its textile sector. India will provide skills training and also help in the development of textiles clusters. The two ministers also reiterated the need for enhancing and diversifying the bilateral trade between the two countries which currently stands at USD 128 million.

The two ministers also agreed to convene the meeting of the Joint Trade Committee within the next six months.

Product development and diversification will be achieved through a model of collaborative workshops bringing on board basketry artisans of both Africa and India on a common platform, along with designers and design students facilitating knowledge, experience and skill sharing in the process of design intervention.

At the onset, five African countries - Zimbabwe, Malawi, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda - will be the beneficiaries.

For each of these countries, one need assessment-cum-workshop in the respective country, followed by a workshop in India and a third workshop in the respective country for 25 participants will be conducted over a period of three years.

The project will encapsulate a major brand development exercise for the entire initiative lending to a suitable design identity for the endeavour.

India inks $1 mn pact to train African craftswomen

 

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India seeks larger UN role in resolving African conflicts

UNITED NATIONS: India wants the United Nations to become a more effective partner of the African Union in resolution of African conflicts.

"The relevant UN agencies should support the regional and sub-regional organizations and assist in their capacity building and in facilitating their implementation," India's Permanent Representative to the UN Hardeep Puri said Tuesday.

He was participating in a UN Security Council open debate on impact of transnational organized crime on peace, security and stability in West Africa and the Sahel region.

The UN offices in the region, including UNOWA, UNOCA and UNOAU, should look into practical and concrete ways to strengthen the efforts of the national governments and regional institutions and bring greater coherence and coordination, Puri said.

While countries in West Africa and the Sahel are more democratic today than in the past and have achieved respectable rates of economic growth, they continue to suffer from a number of problems which have political, security and socio-economic dimensions, he said.

"The importance of an enduring peace, security and stability in West Africa and the Sahel region cannot, therefore be overemphasized," he said. "Addressing these problems will not only help the region but also have a positive effect on democracy and development in Africa as a whole."

Noting that a number of countries in the region, including Mali, Senegal and Guinea Bissau, face crucial elections this year, Puri expressed the hope that elections will be held in a peaceful manner and further strengthen the roots of democracy in these countries and the larger region.

India seeks larger UN role in resolving African conflicts - Economic Times

 

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The entire stretch on the East coast of Africa starting from Somalia, Kenya, Mozambique down to South Africa is very important for India to have a dominant naval position in the Indian ocean. A strong presence in Somalia and Yemen would certainly go a long way in bolstering India's position in the region. The only thing is that we have to work with the regional countries so as to not come out as overbearing in the region. This means including Egypt, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Kenya and of course the US in this diplomatic initiative. China ofcourse we would prefer to keep out of this region.

 

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India to expand science, tech cooperation with Africa

New Delhi: Building upon growing political and economic ties, India and the 54-nation African continent are now poised to expand their cooperation in frontier areas of research, capacity building and knowledge industries.

Empowerment through knowledge and technology was the buzzword at a two-day science and technology conclave here that brought together more than 100 scientists, diplomats and 31 science and technology (S&T) ministers from African countries.

The March 1-2 conclave, at the Vigyan Bhavan convention centre, focussed on building capacities in research and development, social entrepreneurship and innovation technologies.

"There exists an enormous potential for cooperation in science and technology between India and Africa, given the fact that we both are emerging economies, share common problems and have to meet the aspirations of our people," said Jean Pierre O. Ezin, Commissioner, Human Resources, Science and Technology, at the African Union Commission.

He called for strengthening ties between India and Africa in sectors of research and development, human resource development and exchange of technical know-how.

Among the key areas the two sides agreed to work on are all people-related sectors to provide the over two billion population living in India and Africa better living conditions, quality food and water, affordable healthcare and meeting energy needs of two fast-growing economies.

The African Union, which represents 54 nations of the African continent, expressed its keenness to have a long-term strategic partnership with India in science and technology (S&T), given India's "remarkable progress" in this area in the last decade.

"The challenges faced by nations of Africa is similar to ours. Some of our solutions may also be similar," India's S&T and Earth Sciences Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh told the conference, and flagged social entrepreneurship and innovation as key areas for collaboration.

At the end of the conference, hosted by the Indian ministries of S&T and external affairs, the ministers from India and Africa adopted a declaration that reaffirmed the commitments for a strong engagement made at the India-Africa Forum Summits, recalled their common challenges and growth potential, and outlined means to achieve development by becoming knowledge economies.

The areas identified for future cooperation included capacity building, with India assisting the Commission of the AU and Regional Economic Communities by providing training and other capacity interventions towards improving policy enabling environment in the African nations.

With India being the lead thematic partner at the Pan African University's Institute of Earth and Life Sciences in the Western African region at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria, it was agreed to enhance interactions between researchers from both sides, apart from an outreach programme in African countries for the C.V. Raman Scholarship and Fellowship Programmes.

The conference also explored institutional relationships of Indian scientific establishments with Institute Pasteur in Tunis, Institute of Mathematics and Physical Sciences at Benin, and School of Science and Technology at Masuku in Gabon. India's Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) will help Mozambique to set up a similar institution.

The foundation of cooperation in science and technology was laid during the India-Africa Forum Summit held in New Delhi in 2008. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had announced substantive commitments of India to engage with African nations during the second summit in Addis Ababa in 2011.

India has committed USD 5 billion in lines of credit for the next three years to help Africa to achieve its development goals. An additional USD 700 million was pledged to establish new institutions and training programmes. Of this, USD 185 million was set aside for science and technology.

Among those who provided fillip to the India-Africa science diplomacy at the conference were Egypt's Minister of Scientific Research Nadia Eskander Zakhary, who is also the chair of the African Ministerial Conference on Science and Technology (AMCOST), India's Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur, Minister of State for S&T Ashwani Kumar, and former minister of state for external affairs Shashi Tharoor.

India to expand science, tech cooperation with Africa

 

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PM for greater cooperation between Asia, Africa on climate

New Delhi: Noting that economies of developing countries are impacted by climate change, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today pitched for greater cooperation between Asian and African countries to address short and long term challenges in this regard.

"I believe that in the future we will need to tackle the short term and long term environmental challenges that our economies face," Singh said while addressing the inaugural function of Golden Jubilee Celebrations of Afro-Asian Rural Development Organisation here.

Exhorting the scientists and experts to reflect on suitable technology to address the issue, Singh said, "Our scientists and experts have to reflect on technologies and processes that are most suitable for our rural conditions and circumstances, both in Africa and in Asia."

Underlining the need for African and Asian countries to work jointly, he said, "We have to work together to build a favourable international regime that enables us to access funds and green technologies for rural growth".

On jointly tackling the issue of climate change, he mentioned, "We should put our heads together to work for the best outcomes at the climate change negotiations and the forthcoming Rio+20 conference."

Noting that three quarters of world's poor live in Asia and Africa, the Prime Minister said, "Rural reconstruction and poverty eradication are fundamental to our plans for sustainable development and inclusive growth."

"In pursuing our common goals, we should draw upon our own knowledge, traditions and wisdom. Our scientists and experts have to reflect on technologies and processes that are most suitable for our rural conditions and circumstances", he said.

He said Afro-Asian Rural Development Organisation has the potential of playing a vital role in "Our collective battle against hunger, disease and despair that afflict large segments of our population."

Singh also stressed India's full commitment to ideals and objectives of the organisation.

IANS

PM for greater cooperation between Asia, Africa on climate

 

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PM's address at the inauguration of Golden Jubilee celebrations of Afro-Asian Rural Development Organization

I am delighted to participate in this inaugural session of the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Afro Asian Rural Development Organisation. I welcome each one of the distinguished participants from the friendly countries of Asia and Africa.

It was more than 50 years back that India took the initiative to host the 1st Afro-Asian Conference on Rural Reconstruction here in this historic city of New Delhi. The far-sighted leaders of Asia and Africa recognized the need for cooperation in the development of agriculture and rural development among the newly liberated countries of the South. This historic Conference led subsequently to the establishment of the Afro-Asian Rural Development Organization which stands today as a shining symbol of South-South Cooperation.

Over much of the last century, the people of Asia and Africa fought together, shoulder to shoulder, to liberate themselves from colonial domination. Today the challenges we face are different but equally daunting. There are threats to international peace. The processes of globalization and the growing inter-dependence among nations pose fundamental new challenges to our economic sustenance. We face the rising aspirations of our teeming millions who demand and deserve nutritious food, clean drinking water, quality education and affordable health care.

In India, we have attempted to bring about rural reconstruction through development programmes aimed at poverty alleviation, employment generation, infrastructure development and provision for social security. In recent years, rapid economic growth has provided revenues to fund a massive expansion in our anti-poverty programmes. We have learnt important lessons in the process of implementing them and have adapted our strategies for intervention. We have empowered and democratized local bodies to make them principal instruments of implementing targeted schemes and programmes. We have directed large resources towards human development to enable the poor to benefit from the processes of economic reform and modernization. With a view to softening the harsh edges of poverty, we have introduced a landmark employment guarantee scheme named after the Father of our Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, that assures a hundred days of employment to every rural household. Many challenges remain and we continue to explore new ideas and new means to reach out to the poor, particularly in the most backward and remote areas of our country and areas beset with violence and conflict.

India has a vision for a partnership with Africa to deal with some of these common challenges of the 21st century. That is why we initiated the India-Africa Forum Summit process in the year 2008, during which the leaders of India and Africa agreed on a Framework for Cooperation for a sustainable and wide-ranging partnership in development.

The first area of cooperation identified under this framework was agriculture. The thrust of the first phase of cooperation in this sector is on capacity building. We hope and trust this will complement the good work being done by the Afro-Asian Rural Development Organization, which runs international training programmes in seven member countries.

India will provide more than 500 new scholarships over the next few years particularly in agricultural sciences. We have earmarked 700 Science fellowships named after the celebrated Indian Nobel Laureate C.V.Raman for Africa. 150 African students have already been awarded this prestigious fellowship. We are also conducting short term training courses in areas such as water conservation, livestock and fisheries production, farm mechanization and post-harvest processing & value addition.

We have also agreed to pool our intellectual resources in the area of development planning. Joint studies have been planned on cotton production in Africa and on integrated water resource development and management of five different river basins in Africa.

Institution building is another important facet of our cooperation. We have earmarked about US $ 100 million for establishing various institutions including the India Africa Institute of Agriculture and Rural Development, soil water and tissue testing laboratories, farm science centres, agricultural seeds production-cum-demonstration centres and rural technology parks in different parts of Africa. We hope that these initiatives will become intellectual hubs for agricultural studies and research for development.

We have to use science, innovation and entrepreneurship to give a boost to growth and employment in our rural economies. We are funding training and capacity building of 350 persons from Sub-Saharan Africa in the area of food processing.

We have approved lines of credit worth nearly US$ one billion for projects in rural Africa in the sugar sector, for rural power transmission and purchase of agricultural machinery.

We should encourage more investment and trade in agriculture between Asia and Africa. For this, the role of the private sector is also important. I am happy that Indian investment is flowing into Africa in areas such as agro-processing, agricultural machinery and floriculture. Indian farm technologies and practices are, I believe, quite relevant for African conditions and we should encourage such technology and investment flows. In the health sector too, Indian pharmaceutical companies are helping to combat AIDS in Africa.

Last year, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia and my friend, His Excellency Mr. Meles Zenawi made an important speech on the subject of 'Green Economy and Structural Transformation in Africa'.

In that historic speech he said that the resource base of agriculture in Africa is very seriously threatened and that green development is central to transforming agriculture in the African continent. He also spoke of the enormous untapped renewable energy resources available in Africa, not the least being the bio-energy potential that would come with the greening of African agriculture.

I believe that in the future we will need to tackle the short term and long term environmental challenges that our economies face. Our scientists and experts have to reflect on technologies and processes that are most suitable for our rural conditions and circumstances, both in Africa and in Asia.

We have to work together to build a favourable international regime that enables us to access funds and green technologies for rural economic and social growth. We should put our heads together to work for the best outcomes at the Climate change negotiations and the forthcoming Rio + 20 Conference in Brazil.

In pursuing our common goals, we should draw upon our own knowledge, our traditions and wisdom. The Nobel Laureate Ms. Wangari Maathai emphasized the importance of a holistic approach to development, as exemplified by the Green Belt Movement, which linked environmental preservation with women's empowerment, democracy and peace. In her Nobel lecture she said "I have always believed that solutions to most of our problems must come from us".

At the last Indian Science Congress, I was delighted to meet the members of the tribal community of Koraput, in the Indian State of Odisha. They had just been honoured by the Food and Agricultural Organization which had accorded the status of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System to the traditional agricultural system they practiced.

So there is much to study and learn from each other.

Three quarters of the world's poor live in Asia and Africa. Rural reconstruction and poverty eradication are, therefore, fundamental to our plans for sustainable development and inclusive growth. The Afro-Asian Rural Development Organization has the potential of playing a vital role in our collective battle against hunger, disease and despair that afflict large segments of populations in India and in Africa. I reiterate India's full commitment to the ideals and objectives of the Organization and conclude by expressing our firm belief that the Organization will scale new heights under the distinguished leadership of Egypt. With these words I once again welcome all our guests, Their Excellencies, Ministers, Ambassadors from all friendly countries of Asia and Africa.

PM's address at the inauguration of Golden Jubilee celebrations of Afro-Asian Rural Development Organization : Speeches : Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

 

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South Africa pitches for greater Indian investment

With an ambitious programme for development, South Africa plans to conduct road shows and business events in major Indian cities to attract investments in sectors as diverse as information technology, financial services and agro-processing.

"Both bilateral trade and investments can expand considerably," said South African Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies, who was here for the the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Summit.


A stable, diverse economy, a large market and relatively strong consumer spending power makes South Africa an attractive market in the African context.

"India is our a strategic partner and we are keen to attract Indian investments," Davies told IANS here, while hoping to raise two-way trade to over $15 billion by 2014 from around $11 billion now.

The trade minister spoke on President Jacob Zuma's announcement in February that South Africa will make massive investment in infrastructure to industrialise the country, generate skills and boost much-needed job creation.

Zuma was here last wek for the BRICS Summit, hosted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Davies said India-South Africa ties were growing from strength to strength. "Our trade ties have expanded enormously in recent years. There is significant investment. The intra-BRICS cooperation strengthens this and adds value to our bilateral ties."

Miller Matola, chief executive officer, Brand South Africa -- the organisation set up to promote the country globally -- said bilateral trade between the two countries was set to exceed $15 billion by 2014.

"There was $10 billion trade target for 2011. We exceeded that. Now, we have set a new target of $15 billion for 2014. I am hopeful, we will exceed that also," Matola told IANS.

He said Brand South Africa would run a campaign this year in various Indian cities. "We are seeking Indian investments -- in ICT, agro-processing, bio-technology, renewable energy, financial services, mining and infrastructure."

Brand South Africa was set up in 2002 to help create a positive image for South Africa. Its main objective is marketing South Africa through the Brand South Africa campaign.

Indian companies have invested around $3.8 billion in South Africa so far. Several big Indian multinationals like the Tatas, the Mahindra Group, Ashok Leyland and Cipla have significant business interests in the country.

South African firms are also expanding in India. Energy giant Sasol is exploring a multi-billion dollar plant in India. Matola said Brand South Africa would facilitate meetings between Indian and South African entrepreneurs to boost two-way investments.

He said South Africa has the highest competitiveness ranking in sub-Saharan Africa and is second only to China among BRICS countries. South Africa also ranks 50th in the World Economic Forum's competitiveness ranking.

In the Annual Global Competitiveness report, India ranks 56 out of the 142 economies.

"In the African continent no country even comes near to us in terms of the quality of infrastructure, logistics and financial services," he said.

Matola also emphasised the need to diversify the trade basket. India mainly buys unprocessed goods and raw materials like coal, copper and manganese ores, solid fuels, briquettes and ferrous waste from South Africa.

It mainly exports petroleum products, heavy and light motor vehicles, auto parts and telecom equipment.

South Africa pitches for greater Indian investment - Economic Times

 

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Sunil Mittal appointed co-chair of India Africa Business Council

New Delhi: The India-Africa Business Council (IABC), which was announced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during the India-Africa Forum Summit in May 2011 with an aim to provide an institutional platform to strengthen economic ties between business communities of Indian and the African continent, will hold its inaugural meeting on March 17, 2012 in New Delhi.The Prime Minister has appointed Sunil Bharti Mittal, chairman & group CEO, Bharti Enterprises, to be the co-chair from the Indian side.

The Council will be formally launched by Anand Sharma, minister of commerce & industry, Government of India, and Dr Maxwell Mkwezalamba, commissioner for economic affairs, African Union Commission.Sunil Bharti Mittal said, "India and Africa have historically had strong trade and cultural ties and the past few years have seen significant increase in investment out of India into Africa, underlining the positive sentiment. Globalisation has offered immense growth and learning opportunities to businesses from both sides and the IABC will provide a strong platform to unlock this potential and give added impetus to the economic development of the two regions."Top business leaders from India and Africa will be a part of this meeting.

There will also be representation from the African Union Commission, Pan-African Chambers of Commerce & Industry, Africa's regional economic groupings and the African Development Bank.The core sectors for cooperation to be facilitated by the Council will be agriculture, including agro-processing, pharmaceuticals, textiles, mining, petroleum & natural gas, IT & ITES, gems and jewellery, financial services (including microfinance), telecom, energy and core infrastructure, including roads and railways.Bilateral trade between India and Africa has grown from $967 million in 1991 to over $39 billion in 2009/10. Amongst other things, the Council will facilitate a consultative process to address issues standing in the way of economic and commercial relations.

Sunil Mittal appointed co-chair of India Africa Business Council - Economic Times

 

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India-Africa trade projected to touch $90 billion by 2015 news

Indian-African bilateral trade is projected to go up to $90 billion by 2015, from the current level of $60 billion, as per the targets set by India's minister of commerce, industry and textiles and representatives of the African states at their meeting in New Delhi today.

The ministers agreed on the need to strengthen trade relationship between the two sides, inter-alia, through building of trade-related capacity and the conclusion of trade cooperation agreements between India and African Regional Economic Communities (RECs) countries.

''Our leaders had set a target of $70 billion by 2015 but we can note with satisfaction that last year we crossed $60 billion. A 20-fold growth within a decade is indeed an achievement worth applauding. I propose that given the current growth rate, we may agree to revise the trade target to $90 billion by 2015,'' said Sharma.

The ministers recognised the important role of the following Pan-African institutions being set up by the Indian government under the umbrella of the 'India-Africa Forum Summit', for capacity building and human resource development across many areas, which include:

India-Africa Institute of Foreign Trade

India-Africa Diamond Institute

India-Africa Institute of Educational Planning and Administration

India-Africa Institute of Information Technology

India-Africa Food Processing Cluster

India-Africa Integrated Textile Cluster

India-Africa Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting

India-Africa University for Life and Earth Sciences

India-Africa Institute of Agriculture and Rural Development

India-Africa Civil Aviation Academy
The African Ministers acknowledged the Indian government's initiative to set up integrated textiles as well as other clusters in African countries, to address the need for value-addition in the textiles sector in Africa. The proposed integrated clusters are expected to garner investments of $350 million and generate employment for 60,000 textile workers.

During the meeting, the two sides reiterated their commitment towards the centrality of the development dimension and the expeditious completion of the Least Developed Countries' (LDC) issues in the Doha Development Agenda, and agreed that by concluding the Doha Round of negotiations with development at its core, the multilateral trading system envisaged by the WTO would be strengthened.

India and Africa share a common platform on many issues of importance to developing countries and their joint efforts have played a key role in preventing any dilution of the development agenda.

During the meeting, the ministers launched the India-Africa Business Council (IABC), which is co-chaired by Bharti Group chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal from India side and Alhaji Aliko Dangote, GCON, president and CEO of Dangote Group, Nigeria, from the African side.

The India-Africa business Council will explore mutual cooperation in some of the core sectors like agriculture (including agro-processing), manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, textiles, mining, petroleum and natural gas, information technology and IT enabled services, gems and jewellery, banking, financial services (including microfinance), energy, core infrastructure (including roads and railways).

The meeting also announced the launch of the Cotton Technical Assistance Programme in the C-4 countries (Burkina Faso, Benin, Chad, Mali), Malawi, Nigeria and Uganda. Under the Technical Assistance Programme, the government of India provides assistance to the African states in building capacity, technical expertise and thereby competitiveness in the field.

IL&FS Cluster Development Initiative Limited is the project management agency for implementing the project.

The 'India-Africa Trade Ministers Dialogue' is an annual event, of which the first meeting was held in Addis Ababa in May 2011, on the occasion of the second Africa-India Forum Summit held at head of state level.

The council will suggest the way forward on enhancing economic and commercial relations between India and Africa and also identify and address issues which hinder growth of economic partnership between India and Africa.

domain-b.com : India-Africa trade projected to touch $90 billion by 2015

 

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Indian government will fast-track the establishment of the specialised capacity building institutions in Africa

New Delhi: As the global economy faces stiff headwinds resulting in contraction of markets and dip in trade and investment flows, deeper economic cooperation between India and the African nations will provide the growth impetus to both the regions. Stating this in his keynote address at the 8th CII EXIM Bank Conclave on India-Africa Project Partnership in New Delhi on Sunday , Mr Anand Sharma, Minister of Commerce, Industry & Textiles, Government of India, said, "We will have to act together. In doing so we will emerge as the engines of global economic recovery."

Mr Sharma said the world is witness to a rebalancing of the economic order. This presents new growth opportunities for India and Africa which are endowed with rich natural and human resources. Within one year, GDP of Asia, European Union and North America would be almost equal in size. Also, India figures among the largest global economies.

Likewise, the Africa GDP is expected to exceed $2.5 trillion in a little over a decade. The emerging order sets the tone for stronger India-Africa partnership, he said.

Drawing attention on capacity building, Mr Sharma said the Indian government will fast-track the establishment of the specialised capacity building institutions in Africa that it has committed to.

"Education is the most potent tool of empowerment of people," he said.

Touching upon the subject of food security, Mr Sharma said that as many as 80 Indian companies have invested in Africa's agriculture sector. Looking ahead, the focus of these companies would be driving value addition in this sector, while initiating steps to curb post-harvest losses by building support infrastructure.

Noting that India's strident progress in the ITES sector has contributed toward progressively bridging the country's technology divide, he said that promotion of this sector could achieve similar results in Africa.

Indian government will fast-track the establishment of the specialised capacity building institutions in Africa, Orissa Business News

 

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SA-India ITI focuses on broadening economic cooperation between two countries

The South Africa-India Investment and Trade Initiative (ITI) which was recently concluded in Mumbai stressed on the need to develop close collaborative relation between the two countries. Elizabeth Thabethe, deputy minister of trade and industry, Republic of South Africa, emphasised that both India and South Africa should seize the opportunities presented by the global economy to chart a path to ensure mutual benefit, skills transfer for increased and improved trade between the two nations.

The third edition of the annual ITI was attended by more than 200 business delegates from South Africa and India with a view to promote trade and investment opportunities in the targeted sectors in the two countries. The conference focused on leveraging business opportunities that both the countries can benefit from the other through mutual understanding and collaboration, especially since India and South Africa are two very important growing economies of BRICS which will set the path for the development.

Thabethe while speaking at a business seminar said, "Trade between South Africa and India has received a lot of attention in recent years. The rationale for this is rooted in the enhancement of South-South economic integration and cooperation. The broadening of economic space through larger consumer markets gives developing countries such as South Africa and India the opportunity to develop economies of scale, increase their competitiveness and become global competitors. This ITI seeks to amplify our economic relations and about broadening and enhancing economic cooperation between our countries."

She further added that the South African government is striving to enhance economic growth that would lead to an increase in the creation of decent, sustainable jobs, advance the fight against poverty and accelerate economic transformation. "Our task as government is to ensure the necessary enabling environment is in place for business between our two countries to thrive. We are doing this through numerous programmes, such as this investment and trade initiative which will lead to an enhancement of our close political and economical relationships," added Thabethe.

Speaking on this occasion, Syamal Gupta, special advisor, Tata International, said, "We have associated with the South African Department of Trade and Industry for the last 10 years and have partnered with the SA ITI since 2010. Our aim has always been to identify sectors and work towards creating a sustainable environment conducive to growth of both these economies. Last year saw many Indian delegates coming forward pro actively to identify opportunities for investment in South Africa and this year we hope to double that figure and expand our horizons in other sectors which will help increase bilateral trade between our two nations helping business grow."

Deputy Minister Thabethe was accompanied in India by a business delegation comprising of 45 businesspeople from various sectors, including pharmaceuticals, ICT, energy, manufacturing and infrastructure, agro processing, beneficiated metals and mining technology, automotive components and electro-technical.

Last year the trade relations between India and South Africa touched a high of $11,125.57 million. Trade soared in the areas of transport equipment, pharmaceuticals and drugs, engineering goods, textiles, gems, precious and non-precious metals between the two nations.

SA-India ITI focuses on broadening economic cooperation between two countries

 

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India Targets the Young to Bridge Gap With Africa

India is attempting to bridge the gap with Africa by roping in the young through a four-year long programme that comes on the back of increased trade.

This latest engagement with Africa is likely to see a further improvement in the relationship as trade between India and Africa blossomed over the past few years. The Indian government says it has targeted to grow trade to Africa to $90 billion by 2015.

In addition to this growth in trade, the external affairs ministry has embarked on an ambitious campaign to win the hearts of the continent's youth through a new programme called, "Indiafrica: a shared future" over the next four years (2011-14).

Udita Das, a consultant at New Delhi-based company IdeaWorks, which is coordinating the campaign, said: "It is part of an effort to implement the decisions of the India-Africa Forum Summits."

The Public Diplomacy Division of the external affairs ministry has drawn up a number of programmes to engage the youth in Africa for promoting India-Africa relations, she added.

Figures produced by the department of trade show that Indian exports to Africa, south of the Sahara, for the period 2011 up to April-June 2012 totalled $4,827.65 million representing 6.63 per cent of entire global exports.

Trade figures for the 2010-11 period totalled $16,281.09 million and represents 6.46 percent of the total global exports which amounted to $251,135.89 million for the same period. For the period 2011 up to April-June 2012, the figure was $72,722 million.

The figures go on to show that exports to the Southern African region in 2011 topped with $5,700.69 million representing 2.27 percent of the global total whilst East Africa followed with $5,564 million representing 2.21 of the global total. This was followed by West Africa with $4,545.75 million representing 1.81 percent of the global total. Central Africa received $470.65 million representing 0.81 percent of the global total.

For the period 2011 to April-June 2012, the figures show East Africa leading with $1,578 million representing 2.17 percent of the global total. West Africa, $1,550.45 representing 2.13 percent of the global total, South Africa, $1542.90 million representing 2.12 percent of the global total and Central Africa, $156.30 million, representing 0.12 percent.

Not just trade, India wants to do more with the continent.

"There is a progressive demographic advantage of a youthful population between India and the continent that must be used to benefit the people of both regions," said Udita Das.

Das said the programme is intended to give a "platform to the youth so that they can compete, collaborate and co-create".

She said that it "is a unique public diplomacy and youth outreach project that aims to create a dynamic platform for students and professionals across India and Africa to collaborate through competitive, innovation and entrepreneurship".

For this year, Das said, there would be contests in business plans, poster design, photography and essay writing.

"These competitions are open to participants in seven different languages - English, Hindi, Swahili, French, Portuguese, Spanish and Arabic."

There are 18 cash prizes for three winners each from Eastern, Western, Central and Southern Africa as well as India.

This month, a campaign is planned to be held in Ghana, which would see an interactive session with students in the University of Ghana campus, with participation of eminent speakers from India and Ghana, followed by evening entertainment with participation of Indian artists/DJ and a Ghanaian band.

This would be followed by a half-day interactive business session in a business school in Accra with participation of Indian and Ghanaian young entrepreneurs.

Das said: "India shared a common past with Africa and has a shared future, for that reason there is the need for India to engage with Africa."

 

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