BJP to open overseas office in Kenya, other African nations

Spreading its wings across the African continent where it did not have much of a presence till now, India's ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) will be opening an overseas office in Kenya's capital Nairobi in the next fortnight.

The party also has plans to launch offices in some other East African countries like Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Zambia. Last weekend, it opened offices in Canada, Denmark, and Uganda.

"We have a very good structure and we are now appointing coordinators in each major town in Kenya to work for the overseas office of BJP," Vimal Chadha, president of the Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP) in Kenya, told IANS.

According to Chadha, who has also served in the local community for five years in the municipal council in Nakuru, Kenya, opening these offices in East African nations will help bring these countries together with India.

The overseas offices, he said, are important for interacting with the Indian community in the countries concerned, knowing their problems and passing that information to New Delhi.

"India is also playing a greater role in the Southern African Development Community (SADC)," Chadha said.

"As our prime minister (Narendra Modi) said, 'Let's get the SADC nations together, and play the role of the big brother to show good governance in action'. And that is what we are doing through these different activities."

This engagement could also enable people from Africa and other countries to look for potential investment areas in India through the opportunities the government provides, according to a Kenyan MP.

"India also needs assistance from the countries that have something that would benefit India and the same goes to the other countries," he told IANS, adding that the local people will also feel Indians are part of their growth.

The BJP currently has offices in 32 countries in Africa, Europe, the US and other parts of the world.

(Hadra Ahmed can be contacted at hadraahmed@gmail.com)