India-Africa Relations: Beyond Developmental Diplomacy

The relationship between India and Africa has been shaped through common experiences of colonialism, solidarity in the Non-Aligned movement and in forms of developmental diplomacy.

Illustration by The Geostrata

Yet as India and Africa shift to address global challenges, from climate change and pandemics to geopolitical realignments, the relationship itself is moving beyond a traditional paradigm. It represents a shared strategic direction by mutual economic interests, technological innovation, and emerging South-South cooperation.

With Africa's population momentum combined with India's technological advances, this new model represents a new, balanced, forward-looking partnership; a partnership that assists in transcending donor-recipient relationships and achieving collaboration across the world in the 21st century.

A SOLIDARITY-BASED HISTORY

From early postcolonial times, India has been a significant ally to the African continent, both geographically and politically. India’s first prime minister Nehru, called India a "sister continent" to Africa. The Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC), formally launched in 1964, sought to carry out capacity-building through creating training and education programmes.

India also provided support to African countries to liberate themselves in the 20th century, underpinned by the belief in strengthening South-South cooperation, especially in Namibia and South Africa, long before the idea of a multilateral world order became a normative agenda for the world. 

The real tipping point happened in October 2015, at the Third India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS -III) hosted in New Delhi, which saw India host the largest diplomatic gathering of representatives from all 54 African nations.

India committed $10 billion of concessional credit and further $600 million of grant aid as the genesis of a new strategic blueprint. As suggested by the intonations of the summit as well as supportive bilaterals, the recent IAFS again suggested India was maturing its Africa policy and action agenda for both intergovernmental and developmental partnerships. 

India also simultaneously benefits from cultural connections to Africa, due to the Indian diaspora as well as family ties, primarily in South Africa, Kenya, and Mauritius. Once again, India's assistance to Africa is not predicated on political benefits.

STRATEGIC AND DEFENCE COOPERATION

India's defence relationships with Africa have grown in recent years, and both military and maritime security aspects have become noteworthy collaborations. Militarily, India continues to host a number of joint exercises with Africa like the recent AFINDEX military exercise conducted in 2023, in Pune, India. During the exercises, 25 countries from the African continent took part to build positive military relations and inculcate each other’s best practices.

In the maritime domain, India has been active since 2008 in conducting anti-piracy patrols with many actors off the coast of Somalia and has indicated its long-term interest in protecting sea lanes bordering the Horn of Africa.

India's maritime strategy reflects its vision in initiatives like SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and the new MAHASAGAR, which aims to build naval and coast guard cooperation with Mauritius, Seychelles, and Mozambique, among others.

Many of these engagements also include encouraging trade, security cooperation, and eco-friendly development. India's efforts in the Indian Ocean show its collective maritime approach in countering common challenges that India and Africa may have.

STRENGTHENING TRADE AND ENERGY PARTNERSHIPS

India's trade relations with Africa have been progressing steadily, which in 2022-23 neared $98 billion. Trade flow between both is reasonably symmetrical as India imports oil, gold, pulses, and cashew nuts from African countries. On the export side, India exports refined petroleum, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, and capital goods. Notably, trade is not merely focused on the economy; it also reflects a long-term relationship based on mutuality and complementarity.

On the energy side, Indian companies, ONGC Videsh and Oil India, among many others, have been investing in oil and gas initiatives in countries like Mozambique, Nigeria, and Sudan. The trade and energy partnership is not completely about hydrocarbons and fossil fuels.

As renewable energy becomes a priority for India, the African nation is viewed as a key player in strengthening this front.

Utilising India’s strength in renewable energy with the abundant natural resources found in Africa, countries like Zimbabwe and the DRC have grown into ambitious partners. 

Cooperation in the area of renewables has also become core to energy partnerships. Several African countries are signatories to the International Solar Alliance launched by India and France, helping to overcome challenges in solar infrastructure. This also reflects India's efforts in promoting clean tech cooperation and necessary actions beyond conventional trade with the African nations.

DIGITAL AND HEALTHCARE DIPLOMACY

India has steadily gained preference as a partner for digital capacity building. The Pan-African e-Network in 2009 connected Indian institutions with their African counterparts for telemedicine and online learning.

The governments of Africa have now begun to adopt components of India's digital public infrastructure model, including Aadhaar (for biometric identity), UPI (unified payment interface), and direct benefit transfers. 

During the recent COVID-19 pandemic, India delivered vaccines to over twenty African countries as part of the Vaccine Maitri initiative via commercial shipments. Vaccine Maitri established its reputation as a trusted health partner to Africa, demonstrating India's independence from Western pharma diplomacy. 

In addition, India still provides thousands of scholarships and fully funded spots for African students as part of the ITEC and ICCR programmes. This soft power is evident in the increasing number of African students at Indian universities and India’s tie-ups with educational institutes in Africa.

MULTILATERALISM AND GLOBAL GOVERNANCE

Since the inauguration of 16 new Diplomatic Missions in 2018, India has significantly increased its diplomatic footprint in Africa, now having a total of 45 Indian Missions on the continent. 

India's drive for Africa to have its rightful place in global governance in the multilateral sense has only sharpened. At the September 2023 G20 New Delhi Summit, India took the initiative and successfully elevated the African Union to full membership status in the G20. This will go down as one of India's greatest diplomatic victories to outline its support for an equitable multilateral order.

Furthermore, India is still strong in its advocacy for an African permanent seat in the UN Security Council and continues to support calls for the reform of international institutions not representative of current realities.

Africa also plays a starring role as part of India's wider vision of the Global South. Whether it be in BRICS, IBSA or ISA, India maintains the preservation of Africa's leadership and membership in the format as a hallmark of its inclusive diplomacy. 

People-to-people relations are also of large interest in India-Africa relations, exemplified by its high-profile launch of e-Visa to 33 African countries. Similarly, try and expand this contact; India also signs MoUs on Cultural Exchange Programmes with a lot of African nations.

LOOKING AHEAD

The evolution of India-Africa solidarity captures long-standing relationships far beyond classic development cooperation. The long-standing partnership today represents an evolved relationship based on ideas of strategic convergence, common development, and world solidarity.

As Africa continues to undergo demographic and economic change, India will be prepared to sign up as a cooperative and credible partner. The connection is not based on promises of charity or assistance but on mutual values and interests that co-create a sustainable future together. 

Frequently mentioned in the same breath as China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the argument could certainly be made that the India-Africa model is sustainable in the face of Africa's complexity. China's strategy has mostly been on large infrastructure loans that tend to generate debt distress in the donor country, whereas India is more scalable with transparency, local capacity building, and community-driven development.

The Indian initiatives are sensitive in scale and design but are usually well recognised as restocking long-term capacity, maintaining long-term and continuous relevance to the local community.

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BY ARUSHI JAIN

CENTRE FOR DIPLOMACY INNOVATION

TEAM GEOSTRATA

info@thegeostrata.com