Ruchita Beri
India has long and storied relations with countries across the Indian Ocean in Africa. In particular, India’s relations with Africa have grown considerably in recent years, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi making engagement in the region a high priority. To some extent, this trend is, as author Gurjit Singh rightly points out in ‘The Harambee Factor’, shaped by the opportunity that Africa presents to all of its external partners.
The book offers a comprehensive and lucid analysis of India’s economic and development cooperation with African countries over the past two decades. The author’s long experience as a diplomat, heading the Africa territorial division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and representing the country as Ambassador to Ethiopia and the African Union in Addis Ababa, helps bring a practitioner’s perspective on India’s engagement. with the region.
Africa has shown tremendous economic growth, emerging as the “second fastest growing region in the world in the last 15 years” (before Covid-19). New initiatives by African countries, such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA), add to this perspective.
It is clear that India’s development cooperation is people-centred, demand-driven and guided by African priorities. The book examines various facets of India’s development partnership with the African continent. At the Government to Government (G2G) level, it analyzes the various instruments of this commitment. India’s Lines of Credit (LoC) to African countries have attracted a lot of attention. From 2003 to 2020, nearly 200 lines of credit were extended, worth approximately $12 billion. The author analyzes the main beneficiaries of the LoC program and also provides the sectoral distribution. India has been involved in projects related to energy, railways, engineering, information and communication technologies and others.
In 2008, India hosted the first India-Africa Forum (IAFS) Summit, followed by the second in 2011 and the third in 2015. The book provides insight into the genesis of the IAFS process and a realistic assessment of the implementation of the promises made by India. . At the first summit, India showed its intention to become a development partner and for IAFS III, a new dynamism in the development agenda became visible.
Another important point that the book makes is that ‘knowledge sharing’ is an important goal of India’s development partnership. This is evident through different scholarship/bursary schemes available to facilitate higher education for African students in India. The author also dwells on various training courses conducted under the auspices of the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme.
The book notes that India’s economic partnership is not solely driven at the G2G level. Civil society organizations, including Barefoot College and the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), are equally active in Africa. Similarly, the private sector plays an important role in enhancing India’s trade and investment with the region. Here, the author also emphasizes the role of major Indian chambers of industry such as the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
‘The Harambee Factor’ provides a fresh and objective analysis of India’s growing economic engagement with Africa. A must read for students of African studies.
