NEW DELHI: India has its activity cut out in Africa - to acquire the benefit lost to China. New Delhi has at last realised the immense possible Africa gives and has organised the 1st India-Africa conference which formally begins on Monday, even though the summit is slated for March 8, 2009.
Unfortunately, the concentrate on Africa is a lot more of an following-thought triggered by Chinas developing reach and clout in the continent. Last year, China went on a huge publicity blitz when it organised the China-Africa summit in Beijing.
Indias traditional links with African countries go back considerably additional than Chinas. In the course of Indias anti-colonial struggle, several African nations had been also going through similar movements to acquire independence.cospe Mahatma Gandhis role in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa is now portion of history. In the very first decade of Indias independence, links with Africa remained intact, but progressively, as India itself faced domestic difficulties, interest in far away Africa waned.
Now nevertheless, significantly of this has changed. Africa is a single of the richest continents whether in oil, gas, minerals, diamonds, and Indian industries are spreading their wings there. The Tatas are properly established in South Africa.
Indian pharmaceuticals firms are supplying life-saving drugs, which includes AIDS retroviral drugs, at charges less than half of western manufacturers. Indias image amongst thinking Africans is said to be considerably better than that of the Chinese, who some regard as exploitative like the former colonial rulers from the old globe.
The focus of India has been, and shall continue to be, on capacity-developing and human resource development in Africa. There are several Africans who come not only to study but also there are batches which come for devoted courses in capacity-constructing, minister of state for external affairs Anand Sharma said although inaugurating the India-Africa editors conference on Tuesday.
India is also keen to get a manage on Africas hydrocarbon assets to meet its surging energy needs. India has a really cordial and old connection with nations in Africa and we are now going to move forward in a big way, to further consolidate this connection and give it a new shape.
We will undoubtedly look aggressively at Africa for oil and gas assets to ensure power security for the nation, petroleum and natural gas minister Murli Deora mentioned.
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2:17 PM Monday, July 30, 2012
