Mains Practice Questions

Introduction:

India–Africa relations were historically rooted in anti-colonial solidarity, South–South cooperation, and moral diplomacy. In recent decades, however, this engagement has increasingly acquired strategic, economic, and geopolitical dimensions, signalling a shift from symbolism to substance.

Body: 

Evolving Strategic Partnership

• Shift from ideological solidarity to interest-based cooperation: While rooted in anti-colonial solidarity, India’s Africa policy today is driven by energy security, market access, maritime stability, and Global South leadership, marking a clear strategic recalibration.
• Rapid expansion of trade and investment ties: Bilateral trade of India with Africa grew by 9.26% in FY 2022-23 reaching almost $100 Billion, making India Africa’s third-largest trading partner, with growing investments in energy, telecom, banking, and manufacturing.
• Strategic use of development finance and capacity building: India’s Lines of Credit support infrastructure, agriculture, and ICT in Africa, creating long-term economic and political linkages rather than one-way aid.
  • For instance, India offered a US$170 Million Line of Credit (LoC) for the Conakry Water Supply Project to the Republic of Guinea.
• Deepening defence and maritime cooperation: Joint naval exercises, training, hydrographic surveys, and anti-piracy operations in the western Indian Ocean reflect convergence of security interests beyond moral diplomacy.
  • Africa-India Key Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME) involving several African navies, enhancing interoperability and regional security in the Indian Ocean.
• Geopolitical convergence and multilateral coordination: India’s support for the African Union’s G20 membership (2023) and advocacy for African voices in global governance underscore coalition-building and strategic alignment.

 Constraints Limiting the Partnership’s Full Potential

• Commodity-heavy trade structure: Nearly 60% of India’s imports from Africa comprise crude petroleum, gold, and coal, with Nigeria, Angola, and South Africa as the top suppliers (EXIM Bank of India, 2023).
  • India’s exports to Africa are led by pharmaceuticals (12.6%), automobiles and components (10.4%), and refined petroleum products (9.2%), according to ITC Trade Map 2024. 
  • However, high-value service exports such as healthcare, education, and digital governance remain underutilised despite strong potential.
• Strategic intent outpacing delivery capacity: Delays in Line of Credit projects, slow execution, and procedural bottlenecks weaken India’s credibility as a reliable long-term partner (eg, Conakry Water Supply in Guinea).
• Asymmetric competition from China’s BRI: China’s scale, speed, and integrated financing under the Belt and Road Initiative often overshadow India’s consultative but resource-constrained model.
  • For example, China has invested heavily in railways, ports, highways, power plants, and industrial parks, such as the Addis Ababa–Djibouti Railway, Mombasa–Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway,
• Limited private sector and MSME participation: India’s Africa engagement remains largely state-driven, with low private investment due to high logistics costs, weak trade finance, and regulatory risks.
  • Despite strong demand for affordable generic medicines in countries like Kenya, Tanzania, and Ethiopia, most Indian pharma engagement remains limited to exports rather than local manufacturing or long-term investment.
• Selective and uneven engagement across Africa: Concentration on resource-rich or geopolitically significant countries  like Nigeria (oil and gas), Mozambique (energy and mining), risks diluting the pan-African character of India’s outreach and long-term goodwill.

Measures To Further Enhance Ties

• Diversifying Trade Beyond Commodities: India must move beyond a commodity-heavy trade structure by promoting value-added exports such as pharmaceuticals, medical devices, digital services, agri-processing, and renewable technologies.

• Strengthening Implementation Capacity and Project Delivery: To overcome delays in Lines of Credit (LoCs) and project execution, India should establish dedicated project management units, streamline approval processes, and enhance coordination between EXIM Bank, implementing agencies, and African governments.

• Competing with China through Quality and Sustainability: Instead of matching China’s scale, India should focus on quality-driven, transparent, and locally inclusive projects. 

  • Leveraging platforms like the Asia–Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC) can promote sustainable and people-centric development.
• Enhancing Private Sector and MSME Participation: India must encourage greater private sector and MSME involvement by improving access to export credit, risk insurance, and market intelligence for African markets. 
  • Strengthening mechanisms such as ECGC support, blended finance, and PPP models can help Indian firms establish manufacturing and service operations across Africa.
• Expanding Engagement Beyond Select Regions: To avoid concentration in resource-rich countries, India should broaden its engagement to lesser-connected African economies, especially in West and Central Africa. 
  • Sector-specific cooperation in healthcare, education, digital governance, and renewable energy can help build long-term goodwill and strengthen India’s pan-African presence.
• Leveraging Soft Power and Development Partnerships: India can further leverage its strengths in capacity building, digital public infrastructure (UPI, Aadhaar-like platforms), healthcare, and education to deepen people-to-people ties. 

  • Expanding scholarships, training programs, and digital public goods will reinforce India’s image as a development partner rather than just a commercial actor.

Conclusion: 

• India’s engagement with Africa has clearly evolved from solidarity-based diplomacy to a multidimensional strategic partnership. However, the shift remains uneven,  strong in intent but constrained by limited diversification, execution challenges, and competitive pressures. Realising its full potential requires deeper economic integration, faster project delivery, stronger private sector participation, and sustained capacity creation on the African continent.