India–Africa Relations: Ten Years After the Last India–Africa Forum Summit

It has been ten years since the last India–Africa Forum Summit (IAFS-III) was held in 2015.
This long gap makes it necessary to reassess opportunities in India–Africa relations.
This gap also requires a review of challenges in bilateral and regional engagement.
Three IAFS summits were held earlier in 2008, 2011, and 2015.
These summits focused on broad development cooperation between India and African nations.
The 2015 summit was significant because representatives from all 54 African states attended.
The 2015 IAFS marked a major moment in India’s diplomatic imagination under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

How has India expanded diplomatic outreach in Africa since 2015?

India has added 17 new diplomatic missions across Africa since the last summit.
This expansion signals India’s intention to deepen engagement with African countries.

What is the current scale of India–Africa trade and investment?

India is Africa’s third-largest trading partner after the EU and China.
India–Africa trade has crossed $100 billion.
This trade volume shows robust economic engagement.
India is among Africa’s top five investors.
India’s cumulative investments in Africa stand at $75 billion.
India’s investment model is shifting from traditional sectors to new sectors.
Investments now include sectors such as ports, power lines, vaccine production, and digital tools.

Why does Africa represent a major growth opportunity?

Africa has been one of the world’s fastest-growing regions in the past decade.
Africa’s economic growth has created an expanding consumer base for Indian businesses.
Africa’s young workforce offers long-term demographic advantages for India.
By 2050, one in four people on Earth will be African.
India is projected to become the world’s third-largest economy by 2050.
These trajectories create a potential India–Africa growth corridor of commerce, demography, technology, and aspirations.

How does the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) matter for India?

AfCFTA creates a single African market for goods and services.
AfCFTA offers Indian investors unified market access.
AfCFTA enhances scale for Indian businesses across Africa.

How does India support African representation globally?

India supports greater African representation in global institutions.
India supports this to promote fairness and equity in global governance.
India strongly advocated for the African Union’s membership in the G20.
India contributes to United Nations peacekeeping missions on the African continent.
India promotes South–South Cooperation, defined as cooperation among developing countries.
India continues to argue for a just, representative, and democratic global order with Africa as a partner.

What role does soft diplomacy play in India–Africa relations?

India strengthens ties with Africa through education partnerships.
India enhances health cooperation with African nations.
India contributes to African education through foreign campuses such as IIT Madras Zanzibar.
India builds capacity through the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme.
ITEC has trained thousands of African professionals.
India promotes digital connectivity through the Pan-African e-Network initiative.
India supports digital public infrastructure in Africa through tools such as UPI (Unified Payments Interface).
India can help Africa leapfrog gaps in digital infrastructure through Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI).

What are the major challenges in India–Africa relations?

India faces competition from China’s large-scale investments in Africa.
China’s lending model creates concerns about debt-trap risks for African economies.
India’s own development projects in Africa face delays.
These delays often arise from bureaucratic inefficiencies.
These delays affect India’s ability to scale its commitments.
Political instability in parts of Africa creates uncertainty.
Frequent military coups add to this political instability.
Maritime insecurity in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) threatens trade routes.
These maritime threats include piracy.
These threats also include maritime terrorism.
These risks affect the long-term viability of commercial projects.

What are the Kampala Principles that guide India’s engagement with Africa?

Kampala Principles = India’s 10 guiding principles for equitable, sustainable, and mutually beneficial cooperation with Africa.

India aims to intensify and deepen its engagement with African nations.
India aims to create local capabilities and employment opportunities within Africa.
India aims to promote greater market access for African products and encourage greater Indian investments in African economies.
India aims to use digital tools to accelerate Africa’s development.
India aims to enhance agricultural productivity across African regions.
India aims to help Africa address climate change challenges through joint solutions.
India aims to combat terrorism in partnership with African nations and to promote peace and security across the African continent.
India supports free and open oceans for all nations, including African littorals.
India aims to work with Africa to fulfil the aspirations of African youth.
India collaborates with Africa to build a just, representative, and democratic global order.

How is India building security partnerships with Africa?

India and nine African navies conducted the first Africa-India Key Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME) in April 2025.
These navies included Comoros, Djibouti, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, the Seychelles, South Africa, and Tanzania.
AIKEYME marks a new phase in India–Africa maritime cooperation.
This exercise is rooted in shared oceanic geography in the Indian Ocean Region.

How is India supporting African-led development financing?

India’s Exim Bank extended a $40 million commercial credit line to the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID).
This line of credit is modest in scale.
This line of credit signals India’s interest in African-led development models.

How does human connectivity strengthen India–Africa ties?

Nearly 40,000 Africans have studied in India in the past decade. These students came through ITEC, ICCR, and the e-Network platforms.
Many African alumni now shape policy in their home countries. Many African alumni hold leadership positions in ministries and innovation sectors.
These individuals serve as living bridges of trust.Movement is not one-way.
African students, entrepreneurs, and athletes are increasingly visible in India.
Nigerian footballer Ranti Martins became well-known in India.
South African cricketer Morne Morkel serves as India’s fast-bowling coach.
African voices now contribute to Indian universities and laboratories.
India–Africa partnership is not just strategic. The partnership is also social and cultural. The partnership is increasingly lived and experiential.

What must India do to shape the future of India–Africa relations?

India must connect finance to real outcomes in Africa.
Every Indian line of credit must create visible and valuable results.
Public finance must de-risk private investments instead of replacing them.
India must build an India–Africa Digital Corridor.
This corridor should rely on both UPI and Africa’s digital strengths.
India and Africa can co-develop digital platforms for health, education, payments and should cooperatively build platforms for the Global South.
India must revive the institutional backbone of the IAFS process.
The IAFS has not met since 2015. The 2015 summit unified all African states under one platform.
The 2015 summit generated significant diplomatic energy.
It is time to bring back the IAFS as a regular feature of Indian diplomacy.

What is the long-term vision for India–Africa cooperation?

India and Africa once connected through ancient Indian Ocean trade routes.
These interactions exchanged goods such as spices and gold.
The partnership today focuses on exchanging confidence, exchanging capacity and exchanging ideas.
India and Africa are now connecting futures. India extended a hand to all of Africa in 2015.
India must now join hands with Africa to build the next chapter together.

India must now connect, build, and revive its engagement with Africa. India must connect through deeper diplomacy, stronger institutions, and meaningful financing. India must build through co-investment, digital partnerships, and human-centered cooperation. India must revive the IAFS process to sustain strategic momentum. India and Africa now stand at the threshold of a shared future rooted in trust, growth, and partnership.