{"id":84812,"date":"2026-09-14T18:34:35","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T13:04:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=84812"},"modified":"2026-09-14T18:35:00","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T13:05:00","slug":"india-africa-forum-summit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/14-09-2026\/india-africa-forum-summit","title":{"rendered":"India-Africa Forum Summit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/IR<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India restarted discussion on the next<strong> India-Africa Forum Summit on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>India-Africa Forum<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The India\u2013Africa Forum Summit is the <strong>highest institutional platform<\/strong> for cooperation between <strong>India and African countries<\/strong> under the leadership of the <strong>African Union.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It was established in<strong> 2008, <\/strong>and aims to strengthen <strong>political dialogue, economic cooperation, trade, investment, technology transfer, capacity building and people-to-people relations<\/strong> between India and Africa.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It reflects a shared commitment to<strong> South\u2013South cooperation, inclusive development, multilateralism and sustainable partnerships.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>After the inaugural 2008 summit, additional summits were held in <strong>2011 and 2015, <\/strong>the next summit is expected in 2026.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>African Union<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The African Union (AU)<\/strong> is a continental body consisting of the <strong>55 member states <\/strong>that make up the countries of the African Continent.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It was officially launched in <strong>2002 <\/strong>as a <strong>successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU, 1963-1999).<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Aim:<\/strong> To realise Africa\u2019s potential and to focus towards increased cooperation and integration of African states to drive Africa\u2019s growth and economic development.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>India and Africa Relations<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Increased Cooperation:<\/strong> In the past decade, there have been nearly 50 high level visits from India to African countries and close to 100 visits from African leaders to India.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India has also opened 17 new diplomatic missions in Africa since 2018, taking its presence to 46 countries.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Bilateral Trade:<\/strong> India is currently Africa\u2019s<strong> fourth-largest<\/strong> trading partner and among its top five investors.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>For FY 2024-25, trade between India and Africa amounted to USD 81.99 billion (with India\u2019s export amounting to USD 42.6 billion and India\u2019s import amounting to USD 39.2 billion).\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Africa accounts for <strong>nearly 10 percent of India\u2019s energy imports.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Investments: <\/strong>India\u2019s cumulative investment in Africa has reached approximately USD 80 billion between 1996 and 2025, India is among Africa\u2019s <strong>top five investors.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India has provided more than 190 lines of credit worth more than 10 billion dollars to 41 African states so far.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A total of 220 projects worth 4.5 billion dollars have been completed.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Health: <\/strong>India supplies nearly 50% of Africa\u2019s generic medicines and has been a reliable partner during the COVID-19 pandemic.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India is also expanding cooperation in pharmaceutical manufacturing in countries such as Nigeria, Tanzania, Senegal, South Africa.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India\u2019s first overseas Jan Aushadhi Kendra has been set up in Mauritius in Africa.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Defence and Maritime Cooperation: <\/strong>India contributes around five thousand peacekeepers to UN missions in Africa and has increased engagement in maritime security, anti-piracy operations and defence exports.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India conducts joint exercises such as the Africa\u2013India Field Training Exercise (AFFINDEX) and organizes India-Africa Defence Ministers\u2019 Conclaves.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Energy and Sustainability: <\/strong>About 13% of India&#8217;s total energy requirement comes from Africa.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>39 African countries have joined the International Solar Alliance (ISA) so far, 9 African countries are members of Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), and 11 African countries are members of the Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>People to People Ties: <\/strong>The Indian diaspora in Africa is estimated at around 3.5 million and plays a vital role in strengthening economic, cultural, and social linkages.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India has extended e-visa facilities to 33 African countries to promote tourism, trade, and cultural exchanges.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>At the multilateral level, <\/strong>India actively supports Africa\u2019s enhanced representation in global governance.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>During its G20 Presidency, India played a key role in securing permanent membership of the African Union in the G20.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Significance of Africa for India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Economic and Trade Opportunities:<\/strong> Growing African economies offer opportunities for Indian companies in pharmaceuticals, automobiles, agriculture, IT, telecommunications and infrastructure.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Energy and Critical Minerals: <\/strong>African countries are important sources of crude oil, natural gas and critical minerals such as cobalt, lithium, manganese and graphite, which are essential for India\u2019s energy security and green transition.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Strategic and Maritime Importance: <\/strong>Africa\u2019s eastern coast overlooks the Indian Ocean and vital sea lanes connecting Asia, Europe and the Middle East.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Cooperation with African littoral states is therefore important for India\u2019s maritime security and countering piracy, terrorism and trafficking.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Global South Partnership: <\/strong>Africa is a crucial partner for India in strengthening the voice of the Global South in forums such as the UN, G20 and WTO.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Geopolitical Significance: <\/strong>Greater engagement with Africa can help India build a multipolar international order, diversify its diplomatic partnerships and enhance its influence across the developing world.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India\u2013Africa relations are rooted in historical ties, shared developmental aspirations and common Global South interests.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Going forward, a partnership based on mutual respect, co-development and local priorities can transform these ties into a strong pillar of India\u2019s engagement with the developing world.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/india-steps-up-africa-outreach-as-modi-holds-talks-with-leaders-from-the-continent\/article71464256.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> India restarted discussion on the next India-Africa Forum Summit on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> India-Africa Forum <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The India\u2013Africa Forum Summit is the highest institutional platform for cooperation between India and African countries under the leadership of the African Union.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> It was established in 2008, and aims to strengthen political dialogue, economic cooperation, trade, investment, technology transfer, capacity building and people-to-people relations between India and Africa. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/14-09-2026\/india-africa-forum-summit\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-84812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84812","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84812"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84812\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84814,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84812\/revisions\/84814"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}