The fourth Summit should have ideally been organised at least half a decade back, given the fact that Africa is an organic partner for India - and a partner that would play a key role in boosting India’s growth story.  

The impasse has been addressed, and the fourth edition of the India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) will be held in New Delhi on May 31, providing an opportunity for the Indian government to explore long term energy and mining deals. The continent holds huge promise for not only big names from the Indian industry but also for India’s Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).  

IAFS is the apex institutional mechanism for India’s engagement with Africa. It was established in 2008 and covers the entire gamut of inter-State partnerships in political, security, economic, trade, developmental partnership, cultural and people-to-people relationships. The May 31 Summit will be a landmark engagement to further cement close ties of friendship and cooperation between India and Africa, and to strengthen partnership under the South-South framework.

Development Partnership

Africa is the second largest recipient of India’s overseas development partnership support.  India has extended more than 190 Lines of Credit (LoCs) of over US$10 billion to 41 African countries. Twenty projects worth US$4.5 billion have been successfully completed. These projects are in sectors prioritised by African partners, including power, water supply, agriculture, transport, rural electrification, and digital connectivity.

Since 2015, India has offered more than 70,000 scholarships and skill development slots to Africa, under schemes such as Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC), C.V. Raman Scholarships, Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) Scholarships, and e-VBAB (e-VidyaBharati and e-AarogyaBharati).

India has established enduring institutions for youth and skill development, including the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) campus in Zanzibar, Tanzania, and the National Forensic Sciences University campus in Uganda. India has also set up Centres of Excellence in Information Technology in several African countries, strengthening digital skills and employability.

Trade Connection

India is Africa’s leading trading and investment partner. India’s cumulative investment in Africa is over US$80 billion. The Duty-Free Tariff Preference (DFTP) Scheme provides duty-free access on 98.2% of India’s tariff lines for Least Developed Countries, benefiting 33 African nations. India’s concessional finance and lines of credit have supported agricultural infrastructure such as sugar mills in Ethiopia and Ghana, cassava plantations in Cameroon, and rice processing units across Central and West Africa. Indian companies are also increasingly present in African agriculture, helping advance mechanisation, value-addition, and agri-processing. The India–Africa Institute of Agriculture and Rural Development in Malawi was inaugurated in 2019. 

Security And Defence Cooperation

India has deployed over 5,000 peacekeepers in United Nations missions across Africa. Indian women have established the first all-female Police Unit of the United Nations in Liberia. Institutional mechanisms such as the India-Africa Defence Ministers’ Conclave and the Africa-India Field Training Exercise (AFFINDEX) have deepened structured defence engagement. Defence cooperation includes training, capacity building, and defence export.

India’s maritime engagement with Africa is anchored in Vision MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions). The inaugural Africa India Key Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME) exercise was held in April 2025 in Tanzania, with participation from 10 African nations.

Maritime cooperation includes anti-piracy operations, hydrographic surveys, port development, and support for the blue economy across coastal African countries.

Global Partnership

During its G20 Presidency, India played a key role in securing the African Union’s permanent membership in the grouping. India worked with fellow BRICS members to facilitate the inclusion of Egypt and Ethiopia in BRICS at the Summit in Johannesburg in 2023. India has consistently supported African representation in a reformed UN Security Council, in line with the Ezulwini Consensus and Sirte Declaration. India hosted three Voice of Global South Summits, bringing together over 125 countries, including those from Africa.

Future Potential

While the Chinese have made headways in the continent harnessing natural resources through long term deals, such practices are often predatory. The Indian approach has always been based on benevolence and goodwill since the days of colonialism. Indian support to Africa has been based on the requirements of the continent rather than the prescriptive approach of the West or the predatory approach of China. Since 2023, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made several visits to the continent, from the West to the South to the Southwest, to strengthen the spirit of the Global South. The critical minerals and rare earth that African countries possess are necessary to boost India’s growth in the coming decades. 

Simultaneously, Africa is also emerging as a key supplier of crude amid the West Asian war. The North African states are a lifeline to Indian farmers because of the supply of fertilisers. The market size of Africa is too big to be ignored for Indian exporters seeking to diversify in a world of uncertainty and tariffs. A prudent approach for India would be to explore an arrangement with the African Continental Free Trade Area, given the continent’s growing purchasing power and market size. 

History is waiting to be written.    

(The writer is a commentator on geopolitics and geoeconomics. Views expressed are personal.)