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India-Africa
President Droupadi Murmu arrived in Botswana on Tuesday on the final leg of her two-nation visit to Africa, aimed at strengthening bilateral ties and finalising an agreement on the translocation of eight Kalahari desert cheetahs to India. Murmu, who took off from Angola's capital Luanda early in the day, arrived at the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport in Botswana's capital Gaborone, and was received by President Duma Gideon Boko. She was accorded a 21-gun salute and a guard of honour at the tarmac. The two heads of state later witnessed a performance by the traditional dance troupe at the airport. This is the first-ever visit of an Indian President to Botswana, like Angola. Murmu is on a six-day state visit to the two countries. During her three days in the landlocked southern African country, Murmu will hold delegation-level talks with President Boko, and senior officials from both sides will exchange some Memorandum of Understanding (MOUs) aimed at enhancing bilateral ...
Union minister Kirti Vardhan Singh on Wednesday said India-Africa trade has crossed USD 100 billion and New Delhi has emerged as one of the top-five investors in the continent. Addressing the inaugural session of the 20th CII India-Africa Business Conclave in the national capital, Singh said India has extended concessional loans worth over USD 12 billion and USD 700 million in grant assistance for projects across Africa, apart from offering 50,000 scholarships for African youth, of which more than 42,000 have already been utilised. "This year's theme is different as we have decided to move from project partnership and growth partnership to the spirit of 'Co-creating a Shared Future', which signifies the sentiment attached to this remarkable journey," the minister said. "India's bilateral trade with Africa has crossed the magical figure of USD 100 billion in 2024-25 compared to USD 56 billion in 2019-2020. With cumulative investments over USD 75 billion from 1996-2024, India is among
Underlining that India values Africa's role in world affairs, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the two sides must act together to create a future defined not by power and dominance, but by partnership and dialogue. Addressing a Joint Session of the Parliament of the Republic of Namibia, PM Modi also said that Africa must not be just a source of raw material. "Africa must lead in value creation and sustainable growth," he said. "We must act together. Let us create a future defined not by power, but by partnership; not by dominance, but by dialogue; not by exclusion, but by equity," Modi said. The Prime Minister said that India was ready to expand its cooperation with Africa in defence and security. "Our development partnership in Africa is worth over USD 12 billion. But its real value is in shared growth and shared purpose. We continue to build local skills, create local jobs and support local innovations," he said. In his address, Modi highlighted the strong historic
India and Ghana on Wednesday elevated their ties to the level of comprehensive partnership, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirming that New Delhi is a co-traveller in the African nation's development journey. Modi made the remarks after holding wide-ranging talks with Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama. In his media statement, Prime Minister Modi said both sides have set a target of doubling the two-way trade in the next five years and that India is not just a partner but a co-traveller in Ghana's development journey. The delegation-level meeting between the two leaders took place hours after Modi arrived in this capital city of the West African country on the first leg of his five-nation tour. In a special gesture, the prime minister was received at the airport by President Mahama. It is the first prime ministerial visit from India to Ghana in three decades. Following the Modi-Mahama talks, the two sides inked four pacts that will provide for cooperation in several are
The Indian Navy will carry out a mega wargame with several African nations next month to expand its overall defence cooperation with the continent, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new vision for engagement with the Global South. Modi announced the vision MAHASAGAR or "Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions" for India's engagement with the Global South during his recent visit to Mauritius. Deputy Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Tarun Sobti said the Indian Navy and the Tanzania Peoples Defence Force will co-host the exercise, titled "AIKEYME" or Africa-India Key Maritime Engagement, off Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania in mid-April and it is set to be inaugurated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. India and Africa have been cooperating in tackling maritime security threats, such as piracy, illegal activities including trafficking, unregulated and unreported fishing, through sharing of information and surveillance. However, the "AIKEYME" exercise
President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday hailed the Indian community in Malawi as a "living link" between the two nations, praising their contributions to the African country's society and economy while urging their participation in India's developmental journey. Murmu arrived here earlier in the day on the final leg of her three-nation visit to Africa. Addressing the Indian diaspora at a reception here, the president said the "Indian community in Malawi is a living link between the two countries", her office shared in a post on X. "She appreciated their contribution to the society and economy of Malawi. She urged them to take part in the developmental journey of India," it said, sharing some photographs of the event. Murmu also emphasised the Indian government's commitment to the welfare of its nationals living abroad. "The welfare of our countrymen living outside India is the top priority of our government. We are committed to working with our partners across the world to address th
President Droupadi Murmu will undertake a state visit to three African nations -- Algeria, Mauritania and Malawi, starting October 13, which is a reflection of India-Africa "growing partnership", the MEA said on Wednesday. Secretary (Economic Relations) in the Ministry of External Affairs, Dammu Ravi, at a briefing here said the visit comes after the African Union became a member of the G20 at its summit last year under the Indian presidency of the grouping. "This visit should be seen in the context of Africa as a continent and how India wishes to engage, and is looking at having a stronger partnership with Africa. It's a reflection of India-Africa growing partnership," he said. Africa includes 54 countries and forms the "core of the Global South", Ravi said. The first leg of President Murmu's three-nation visit will begin from Algeria, then onward to Mauritania, and it will end with Malawi. Secretary (CPV & OIA) in the MEA, Arun Kumar Chatterjee, said President Murmu will visit .
Large arable land in the African continent offers huge scope for collaboration between India and Africa in the agriculture sector, BRICS Agri Business Council Vikramjit Singh Sahney has said. He said that Africa can be a reservoir for the supply of pulses, oilseeds and other agri products like millets. "There is large arable land still unutilised in Africa which can be put to fertile use through agri inputs and India can help develop the whole Agri Value chain in various African countries," he added. Sahney, who is also a Rajya Sabha member from Punjab, said this while addressing a session on India-Africa Business Conclave here on August 22. He also highlighted that the manufacturing growth and services sector can be a game changer for Africa's youth which has got the world's largest young population. Sahney added that India can also help various startups in Africa in cities like Lagos, Nairobi and Cape Town which are hubs of becoming startup capitals. Emphasising the importance
As he sought to take India-Nigeria ties to a higher level, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday said India is betting on Africa's rise and the rebalancing and the multi-polarity of the world will not be complete until the continent takes its due place. Addressing the Nigeria-India Business Council (NIBC) here, the minister said the rebalancing and reordering of a new global order will only happen when the core of it is economic ... which is the rise of Africa has to be the economic rise of Africa. The minister, who arrived in Nigeria on Sunday after attending the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit in Uganda, concluded his two-nation tour with an address to the NIBC. Now, that obviously presents choices, because it is very difficult to go up in the global order by being a market for others or just by being a provider of resources, he said. Africa, Jaishankar said, is rising, and India is betting on Africa's rise. India is betting on Africa's rise because, by any objecti
At least 12 people died in a crush at a stadium in Madagascar on Friday as sports fans gathered for the opening ceremony of the Indian Ocean Island Games, local media reported. The reports said Prime Minister Christian Ntsay announced the deaths. He said around 80 others had been injured, 11 of them critically. Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina was at the ceremony at Mahamasina Stadium in the capital, Antananarivo, and asked the crowd to observe a few moments of silence for the dead, the reports said. The stadium, which is built to hold around 41,000 people, has been the site of deadly crushes before. One person died and at least 37 were injured in a crush ahead of a qualifying game for the African Cup of Nations soccer tournament between Madagascar and Senegal in 2018. In 2019, at least 15 people died in a stampede at a music concert at the stadium. The Indian Ocean Island Games is a multi-sports event featuring nations from the region. Athletes from Comoros, Maldives, Mautirti
Younger cheetahs that are habituated to management vehicles and human presence are preferred candidates for relocation to India, international experts involved in Project Cheetah have told the government based on lessons learnt from the initial experience in Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park. In a status report submitted to the government recently, the experts emphasised that younger cheetahs are more adaptable to their new environments and have higher survival rates compared to older cheetahs. Younger males display "lower aggression" towards other cheetahs, reducing the risk of intraspecific competition mortality, commonly known as cheetah infighting. Considering the costs associated with relocating cheetahs to India, the experts highlighted that younger cheetahs have a longer life expectancy post-release, offering higher conservation value and breeding potential. The experts said younger cheetahs "habituated to management vehicles and humans on foot" allow easier monitoring of
Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav on Saturday said the cheetahs will continue to remain in the Kuno national park in Madhya Pradesh and asserted that the project will be successful. We are in touch with experts, including international experts. Our team will visit there. The cheetahs will not be relocated and will remain in Kuno only, the minister said. Yadav's comments came amid concern expressed by some experts on the cheetah project and that some recent deaths could possibly be due to infection caused by radio collars though that is highly unusual and collars have been used in wildlife conservation in India for over two decades. Other experts, however, said only the post-mortem report will determine the exact cause. Rajesh Gopal, the head of the cheetah monitoring committee set up by the NTCA, said the reason for the cheetahs' death could be septicemia from radio collar. It is highly unusual. I have also seen it for the first time. It's .
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said the relation between India and African countries are exemplary in terms of unity against colonialism and cooperation among developing nations. He said this at the inauguration of the first edition of the UNESCO-India-Africa Hackathon 2022 being held at the Gautam Buddh University in Greater Noida. The event is hosted by India on the initiative of Union Ministry of Education's Innovation Cell and has 22 participating countries from Africa. "Considering the advantage of talent and innovation today's youth has, I am hopeful that together we can find solutions to various problems which are faced by society," Adityanath said, welcoming the foreign participants and delegates to the hackathon. "The relation between India and African countries is exemplary in terms of unity against colonialism and cooperation among developing nations. This has been a strong foundation stone of the strong relations between African nations and Indi