India, Africa can become engines of growth for world: Jaitley

Asserting that India and Africa were rapidly growing developing economies, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday said both can become the engines of growth for the entire world.

"India attaches high importance to its relationship with Africa. The strong sense of political affinity and solidarity between India and Africa dates back to several decades of the 20th century," Jaitley said in his address at the India-Africa Forum Summit here.

"India and Africa are rapidly growing developing economies in the world. While Africa is the continent of the future, India is an emerging economy. As the global economy continues to recover slowly from the global financial and economic crises, India and Africa together can become the engines of growth for the entire world," he added.

The India-Africa Forum Summit will address the key challenges faced by Africa, which includes food, health and environmental security. India hopes to create conditions that stimulate trade and investment flows between New Delhi and the African countries.

During the four-day summit, the two sides are expected to reinforce their partnership on the global platform and deepen security cooperation including on maritime security and countering terrorism.