India in Africa 3/2019 Indian Assistance to Niger for Holding AU Summit Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury* ndia has for the first time granted Ifinancial support of US$15mn for the African Union Summit, held in The grant to Niger is Niger in early July 2019, infusing fresh energy into its focus on Africa in line with India’s within weeks of the re-election of development the Narendra Modi-led NDA. The partnership model cheque of US$15mn grant was handed over by India’s envoy to for Africa — one Niger to the country’s Deputy which is based on Foreign Minister. local requirements Sub-Saharan Niger hosted the African Union Summit for the first time, and India deemed it fit to support the summit through the large number of Nigerian nationals. and a sense of deep solidarity. As grant, said officials. Nigeria is also the fifth-largest Prime Minister has underlined, supplier of crude oil and the second- African priorities are our priorities,” India is also building a convention largest supplier of LNG to India. TS Tirumurti, Secretary (Economic centre in Niger as part of a plan to Relations), External Affairs Ministry build chain convention centres India-Africa trade has multiplied and said in a speech on the occasion of across 20 African states as signature diversified in the past 15 years. India Africa Day at the Institute of Defence infrastructure projects which were is the third-largest export Studies and Analyses. hitherto expertise for China. destination for Africa. India sources nearly 18 percent of its crude oil and The first term of the Modi Ahead of India’s grant to Niger, also its LNG requirement from Africa. government saw an unprecedented V Muraleedharan had made Africa Bilateral trade stood at US$62.16bn intensification of India’s political his first stop as Minister of State for in 2017-18, up 21.56 percent year- engagement with Africa, with 29 External Affairs when he attended on-year. Indian investments are visits to African countries at the level Nigeria’s Democracy Day steadily growing in a range of sectors of President, Vice President and celebrations. India’s relations with in Africa and India has become the Prime Minister apart from several Nigeria were elevated to ‘strategic fifth largest investor in Africa, with ministerial visits. African leaders too partnership’ in 2007. The two cumulative investments of more visited India in larger numbers in the countries also have strong defence than US$54bn. past five years. cooperation. With an annual bilateral trade of US$11.76bn in 2017-18, Recently, a senior Indian official said After the visit of 41 heads of state Nigeria is India’s largest trading that India’s partnership with Africa or government who attended the partner in Africa, and India is Nigeria’s was free of conditionalities and India Africa Summit in 2015, India largest trading partner globally. demand-driven. “India’s partnership hosted more than 35 leaders from with Africa is based on a model of Africa at various events. India has The bilateral trade amounted to cooperation that is responsive to the already opened six of the 18 US$13.89bn in 2018-19, up 18.8 needs of African countries. It is additional missions it intends to set percent year-on-year. Indian demand-driven and free of up in Africa. President Ram Nath companies are among the largest conditionalities. It is based on our Kovind is scheduled to visit West investors in Nigeria and employ a history of friendship, historical ties Africa in 2019. * Senior Assistant Editor, Economic Times. The article appeared in the Economic Times, on July 12, 2019 India’s Export Push Zambia-India Seek More Bilateral Trade The Kenyan National Chamber of ambia and India have called for the increase and deepening of bilateral Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) trade which stood at US$833mn in 2018-2019 and was largely dominated Chief Executive Angela Ndambuki Z by exports from Zambia. The two said Kenya needs to encourage countries have stressed the need to Indian firms to set up local expand the basket of traded items, manufacturing bases for exporting adding that trade and investment goods back to their countries, cooperation should be expanded and through incentives such as export deepened, by encouraging public and processing zones. private companies to explore trade “Strengthened business ties are and investment opportunities, as well key to enhanced Kenya exports to as improve the ease of doing business India and this could be in form of in their respective countries. manufacturing investments or their Zambia President Edgar Lungu and enablers,” said Ndambuki at the Indian President Ram Nath Kovind second International Indo-Africa acknowledged the steady inflow of Indian private investment into Zambia, Business-to-Business Trade Expo in in the areas of mining, infrastructure, manufacturing and pharmaceuticals, Nairobi. and agriculture. The two Heads of State said this when they held bilateral Indian High Commissioner to talks, at the ongoing State Visit to India where President Lungu was accorded Kenya, Rahul Chhabra said such top- a ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan. (LT, 22.08.19) level state-to-state meetings were working towards addressing the imbalance issue. (BD, 20.08.19) Mechanisation Service Centres to Exhibition & Conference in Accra, achieve food security in Ghana, while where they seek to foster Vagmi Cotton to Invest in Zambia US$30mn is to upgrade the Potable collaborations with the government The Zambian Vice President Water Supply System in Yendi Town. and the private sector in the supply Inonge Wina has held talks with The agreements, which were and utilisation of their products in India’s Shree Vagmi Cotton Limited, reached on April 05, 2019 were the country. which will invest US$7mn in the next signed by the Minister of Finance, While Mazagon Dock three years to build a factory that Ken Ofori-Atta, and Pushpesh Tyagi, Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), an would process cotton lint in 2019 the EXIM Bank of India Resident international shipbuilder is hoping alone. Representative based in Abidjan, in that the Ghana Navy and the Wina who was accompanied by Accra. government will allow them to share Zambia’s High Commissioner to With the signing of the two their expertise, Bharat Electronics India Judith Kapijimpanga had since concessional LOCs, India’s Limited is hopeful that it deplores toured Shree Vagmi Company developmental cooperation with its skills in the education and trade Cotton Factory in Indore, in the Ghana through bilateral facilitation areas. Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. concessional LOCs and Indian LOCs Ordnance Factory Board, on the Amit Dwivedi, Vagmi Company offered through East African other hand, has expressed its Chief Executive Officer said that in Community of West African States willingness to work with the 2020, his company would evolve (ECOWAS) Bank for Investment and Ministries of Defence and the from cotton ginning to a full textile Development (EBID) aggregates to Interior to retool the various security which would resuscitate the once US$433.26mn. (BG, 15.08.19) services. vibrant textile industry in Zambia. The Director in-charge of (TIO, 17.09.19) Business Opportunities in Ghana Shipbuilding at MDL, Rtd Admiral Three companies from India are A.K. Saxena, said on the sidelines of India Offers LOCs to Ghana exploring business opportunities in the conference that the company The EXIM Bank of India, with the Ghana in the shipping, electronics was ready to assist the government support of the Government of India and weapon space. The firms – to develop the Tema Shipyard and has offered two concessional Lines Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited Drydock into multi-purpose facilities of Credit (LOCs) worth US$180mn to (MDL), Bharat Electronics Limited that could design ships and the Government of Ghana. and Ordnance Factory Board, are accessories for the West African Of the amount US$150mn is for participating in the maiden market. (GW, 27.07.19) the strengthening of Agriculture International Maritime Defense Source: BD: Business Daily; BG: Business Ghana; GW: Ghana Web; LT: Lusaka Times; TIO: The Independent Observer India in Africa: Published by CUTS International, Head office: D-217, Bhaskar Marg, Bani Park, Jaipur 302016, India Ph: 91.141.2282821, Fax: 91.141.2282485, E-mail: [email protected], Web Site: www.cuts-international.org Also at Delhi, Kolkata and Chittorgarh (India); Lusaka (Zambia); Nairobi (Kenya); Accra (Ghana); Hanoi (Vietnam); Geneva (Switzerland); and Washington DC (USA) CUTS International is a not-for-profit organisation and the listing of paid news/articles is for informative and educative purposes only..