Dr S Jaishankar Extends Support To Africa Says, ‘India Is Betting On Africa’s Rise’

India's External Affiaris Minsiter Dr S Jaishankar has expressed confidence in Africa's rise, stating that the rebalancing and polarity of the world will not be complete until the continent takes its due place.

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Tuesday, while addressing the Nigeria-India Business Council (NIBC), extended India’s support to Africa. He said that ‘India is betting on Africa’s rise’ and the re-balancing and the multi-polarity of the world will not be complete until the continent takes its due place.

Addressing the Nigeria-India Business Council (NIBC) here, the minister said the re-balancing and reordering of a new global order will only happen when the core of it is economic, which is the rise of Africa has to be the economic rise of Africa.

India’s Confidence Over Africa

He further stated that,“Now, that obviously presents choices, because it is very difficult to go up in the global order by being a market for others or just by being a provider of resources.”

“Africa is rising, and India is betting on Africa’s rise,” stated Jaishankar. “Because there is, objectively speaking, “so much growing for Africa in terms of demography, in terms of resources, in terms of ambition, in terms of, increasingly, policy alignments,” India is placing its bets on the continent’s rise. He stated that the future was obviously powerful and would be extremely different and more promising in the near future.

“We are betting on Africa because…we have a shared past, not always a happy history, not between us, but between us and some other people. However, this history has greatly increased solidarity. And such solidarity today makes me declare very clearly that for us, when we speak about a changing global order,” said Jaishankar.

Partnership Sectors Between India and Africa

He listed a few areas where India and Africa’s relationship may develop, including digital public infrastructure, green and clean growth, water, agricultural sustainability and security, and the blue economy.

The minister’s speech to the NIBC marked the end of his two-nation journey. He had traveled to Nigeria on Sunday, having flown in from the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit in Uganda. He is the first Indian foreign minister to travel to Nigeria.

According to Dr Jaishankar, Nigeria is India’s top economic partner in Africa. He also stated that the two countries do between USD 13 and USD 15 billion in commerce each year and that New Delhi has invested about USD 30 billion in Nigeria.

“But having said that,” he asserted, “I would also urge you not to be satisfied, to look at the potential…India’s exports in the year that has just been completed was USD 766 billion…and I’m sure, you would surely like, (that) a larger part of that share to come to Nigeria.” To build up the business relationship even more strongly, the governments of both the countries should find constructive and practical solutions to challenges related to banking, insurance, credit guarantees, flight connections, and trade settlements, Jaishankar said.

(With input from agencies)