In a rapidly evolving geopolitical situation, the summit would have given a strong message to the world on South-South cooperation driven by India. After all, the last summit was held in 2015.

In a freewheeling chat, South Africa’s Ambassador to India Anil Sooklal, however, told The Secretariat that there was little choice but to postpone the summit amid the rapid spread of Ebola in parts of Africa.

“The spread of Ebola is a matter of concern, and given the situation, the decision to postpone the India-Africa summit is absolutely justified. We cannot take a chance, especially now that the whole world has seen how the Covid pandemic spread and disruption is brought about,” Ambassador Sooklal said.

“There is no vaccine yet for this virus and this is even deadlier than Coronavirus,” he said, adding that all necessary measures need to be put in place on an immediate basis to contain the spread of Ebola.

The world community needs to come together to tackle the situation, he said. 

New Summit Dates

An earlier report by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) noted that for India, the summit would have been an opportunity to demonstrate that New Delhi’s commitment to the Global South was not merely rhetorical. It was to be held from 28-31 May 2026.

The Ministry of External Affairs in a statement said that “the two sides exchanged views on the evolving health situation in parts of Africa and reaffirmed the importance of continued cooperation in strengthening public health preparedness and response capacities across the continent.”

The MEA statement further said that new dates would be fixed in due course through “mutual consultations.”

“The best time to host the India-Africa summit would be to time it with the BRICS meetings that New Delhi will be hosting,” High Commissioner Sooklal said, underlining the need for both New Delhi and Johannesburg to increase economic and trade engagements. 

Besides South Africa, Ethiopia and Egypt are also part of the broader BRICS bloc.

India’s Energy Requirements

For India, which is import dependent for its energy and critical mineral requirements, diversifying its markets has become critical. 

In 2025 alone, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Africa thrice. In December, his visit to Ethiopia was keenly watched – right from the time he was driven by his Ethiopian counterpart Abiy Ahmed from the airport to the various meetings he held. He was also conferred the ‘Great Honor Nishan of Ethiopia.’ In July, Modi during his visit to Ghana, also received the ‘Officer of the Order of the Star of Ghana’ – the national honour of the country in July.  Incidentally, Modi was the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Ghana in over three decades.

That apart, Modi visited South Africa as well to participate at the G20 summit.

The ORF report highlighted that the African continent presents India with a viable pathway to diversify its energy basket with alternative supply routes that are less dependent on narrow chokepoints such as Hormuz.

The African Union, home to 60% of the world’s renewable energy reserves and more than 30% of the critical minerals, became a member of G20 under India’s Presidency in 2023.

India has already increased its crude oil purchase from Angola.

“I think India and Africa at the present moment are at an inflection point in terms of growth and development. I think we are both at the same point. You are seeing India experiencing accelerated growth, and you are seeing the same on the African continent,” Ambassador Sooklal said.

Policy watchers said that India with its huge diaspora in the continent must continue to engage, with a view to striking a long term economic and trade partnership.

According to the Confederation of Indian Industry, Africa has been one of the world’s fastest-growing regions over the past decade, and by 2030 it is expected to have an estimated US$ 6.7 trillion worth of consumer and business spending.

“I always maintain that India and Africa are natural partners. In terms of demographics, we are about 1.5 billion each. But we also, both India and the African continent, have amongst the youngest demographics in the world today,” the Ambassador noted. Sooklal is South Africa’s first Indian origin envoy to the country.