African parliamentarians seek India's help in military capacity-building

A nine-member delegation from various African nations evinced keen interest Thursday in making India-Africa ties stronger and sought New Delhi's help in building their military capacities.

The nine-member team of young parliamentarians were from Algeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, South Sudan and Uganda. The team visited the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), a strategic think tank, for interacting with the experts.

The interaction was focused on the need to build on the strong historical ties between India and Africa for their mutual benefit in multiple spheres - political, economic, security, science and technology.

The delegates were also interested in the role of women in the armed forces and politics in India.

Ruchita Beri, who specializes on African issues at IDSA, emphasised the unique consultative nature of the India-Africa relationship and discussed the scope for further cooperation in the areas of energy infrastructure development and counter-terrorism.