President Kovind to visit 3 West African nations from July 28

President Ram Nath Kovind will embark on a week-long visit to three West African nations-- Benin, The Gambia and Guinea-- from July 28 to August 3, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday.

The president will be accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising of Minister of State for Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Pratap Chandra Sarangi, and Member of Parliament, Dilip Ghosh, in addition to senior officials, Vijay Thakur Singh, secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs, told reporters at the weekly briefing.

India's diplomatic relations with Africa have undergone an unprecedented transformation in the last five years, the ministry said.

There have also been several high-level and intensified political engagements with Africa at the level of President, Vice President and the Prime Minister apart from several ministerial visits, the ministry added.

"The upcoming visit of our Rashtrapati Ji (President Kovind) to West Africa is a reiteration of our growing relations with Africa and, especially the ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) and as all the three African countries-- Benin, The Gambia and Guinea-- are members of this group," Singh added.

"Incidentally, this will also be the first high-level visit for our Head of State from India to all the three countries in West Africa," she said.