The Fourth India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS-IV) is scheduled to be held in New Delhi on May 31, 2026. Being organised after a hiatus of 10 years, the Summit is taking place at an extraordinary time when the world is faced with extraordinary challenges. Conflicts in several parts of the world have exacerbated shortages of the 3Fs (food, fuel and fertiliser), and led to volatility in trade and investments; unstable financial markets and supply chain disruptions. The world must brace up for an economic downturn marked by sustained periods of low or negative growth, and new or continued debt crises. At the same time, we must also be concerned about extreme climate events, slow progress of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda, global security challenges such as terrorism, and abject failures of global governance. Such a grim outlook is particularly worrisome for the Global South. It is against this background that the India-Africa Forum Summit mechanism assumes critical significance. The IAFS mechanism was institutionalised in 2008 to promote rapidly expanding India-Africa relations in a structured and focused manner. The last Summit under the mechanism i.e. IAFS-III was held in 2015. Since then, both India and Africa have undergone profound transformation. Today, the world’s youngest continent and the world’s largest democracy, together account for more than one-third of humanity. India and Africa have also registered impressive economic growth rates over the past decade, with India’s nominal GDP surpassing the $4 trillion mark and Africa’s GDP being in the range of $3 trillion. Together for the world One should not attempt to explain the importance of India and Africa for the world by merely referring to some impressive figures in their growth journeys. These closely-knit regions collectively have the wherewithal to address several global challenges in the spirit of ‘Ubuntu’ and ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’. India and Africa have a people-centric development model anchored on Viksit Bharat 2047 and Agenda 2063 visions. India has consistently maintained its position as the world’s fastest growing major economy. Several African countries, particularly in the East and some large economies in the West and North, have registered impressive growth rates in recent years. This, coupled with young populations in both regions, have the potential to drive global manufacturing and contribute to a global workforce. Diverse agricultural resources in these regions can ameliorate global food shortages. Abundance of critical minerals in Africa and India’s diversification towards green growth offer complementarities for clean energy transition. Both these regions are also increasingly adopting technology and innovation, including artificial intelligence, for the upliftment of their populations. India and Africa can also work together for enhanced global security by strengthening cooperation in counter-terrorism, de-radicalisation, border management, intelligence-sharing, and strategic communication. Natural partners Given our close and cordial ties and extensive people-to-people contacts, India and Africa are natural partners. Demonstrating its long-term commitment to engaging every region of Africa, India has expanded its diplomatic footprint by opening 17 new Missions across the continent in the past decade, taking the number of India’s diplomatic Missions in Africa to 46. Historic Speech by Prime Minister: India’s engagement with Africa In his historic speech at the Parliament of Uganda in 2018, Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi enunciated 10 principles for India’s engagement with Africa. These include Africa being at the top of India’s priorities; a development partnership based on Africa’s imperatives, driven by African talent and committed to build local capacities; mutually reinforcing trade partnerships; India’s digital revolution as a means to support Africa’s socio-economic development; an assurance to improve Africa’s agriculture; and a partnership to address challenges of climate change and energy transition. They also feature strengthening of cooperation in combating terrorism and extremism; promotion of an inclusive and cooperative Indian Ocean security vision to ensure security and growth for all in the African region; promotion of Africa as a nursery for the aspirations of its youth, and working together for a just, representative and democratic global order that has a voice and role for one-third of humanity that lives in Africa and India. Principles in motion Over the years, India has made concerted efforts to translate Prime Minister Modi’s principles into action. India has supported a wide range of projects through concessional lines of credit, grant assistance, and capacity-building initiatives, in areas such as energy, agriculture, water supply, transport, healthcare, education and digital connectivity. The Government of India has extended 190 Lines of Credit, aggregating around $10 billion to partner countries in Africa. So far, 220 projects have been successfully completed. In addition, India has committed over $700 million for a number of grant projects in many African nations, which are at various stages of implementation. The Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme alone has trained thousands of African professionals in agriculture, banking, finance, public administration, governance, information technology, defence, renewable energy, environment, etc. Every year, thousands of African students study in prestigious institutions in India under India-Africa Maitri scholarship administered by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). In the last 10-11 years since IAFS-III, India has offered more than 70,000 scholarships and skill development slots under various schemes, including ITEC, CV Raman Scholarships, ICCR Scholarships and e-VBAB. The Indian Institute of Technology in Zanzibar, the National Forensic Science University in Uganda, the Entrepreneurship Development Centre in Rwanda, and various Centres of Information Technology in several African countries, are examples of people-centric cooperation aimed at nurturing talent and building capacities. India has emerged as one of Africa's largest trading partners. Driven by partnerships in pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and energy, India-Africa trade surpassed $100 billion in 2025. India has also emerged as one of the largest investors in Africa in sectors such as automobile, mining, energy, pharmaceuticals, textiles, IT and telecommunication. Major investments by Indian conglomerates in Africa include investments in the telecom sector by Reliance Industries in Ghana; in Tanzanian port infrastructure by the Adani Group; in the mining sector of Guinea by the Aditya Birla Group; in the telecommunication sector across Africa by Bharti Enterprise, and in the automobile sector in South Africa, and the hydro-power sector in Zambia by the Tata Group. Healthcare cooperation is another major success story. During the Covid-19 pandemic, India’s “Vaccine Maitri” initiative supplied vaccines and medicines to more than 40 African countries. Indian pharmaceutical companies continue to play a major role in improving affordable access to medicines across the continent. India and Africa are also deepening their defence and security partnerships, anchored in maritime collaboration, and capacity building. Driven by the Vision MAHASAGAR, the partnership aims to enhance African military self-reliance, combat piracy and secure key Indian Ocean trade routes. India’s cooperation with Africa also extends in areas like climate action, renewable energy, resilient infrastructure, and environmental conservation. African nations are key partners in Indian-led global initiatives such as the International Solar Alliance (ISA), the Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA), the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA). Diaspora: a living bridge Furthermore, the Indian diaspora in Africa, numbering around three million, serve as a living bridge between our societies, strengthening economic linkages and promoting cultural ties. Settled across Africa, particularly in East and Southern Africa, the vibrant Indian diaspora has deep historical roots, and contribute to cultural diversity in the region. Representative global order India and Africa share a vision of a more inclusive and representative global order. We have called for urgent reform of institutions of global governance, particularly for a reformed and expanded United Nations Security Council, with India and the African continent as permanent members (based on the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration. It was only natural that the African Union was included as a member of the G20 during India's G20 Presidency in 2023. India-Rwanda relations As part of India’s pro-active engagement with the East African region, bilateral relations between India and Rwanda have grown over time into a robust strategic partnership characterised by mutual respect, cordiality, and increasing economic cooperation. Following high-level visits, including President Paul Kagame’s visits to India between 2002 and 2018, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic State visit to Rwanda in 2018 – the first by an Indian PM – bilateral ties have expanded beyond development assistance to include cooperation in agriculture, defence and security, trade and investment, energy, S&T, ICT, education, health, Parliamentary cooperation, culture, etc. The vibrant Indian diaspora, numbering more than 3,000, is drawn from 15 States of India and the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir. Members of this diaspora, some of whom have lived in Rwanda for more than 30 years, have contributed to Rwanda’s economic development and enriched the country with their rich cultural traditions. Yoga, Bollywood and Indian cuisine have come to enjoy popularity among the people of Rwanda, particularly the youth. India is the second largest investor in Rwanda with investments spread across a whole range of sectors such as sugar, tea, telecom, iron and steel; cement; textiles; automobiles; motorbikes; healthcare; hospitality; Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG); glass and pharmaceuticals. Deliberations under IAFS-IV could add impetus to bilateral relations not only in political cooperation, trade and investment and people-to-people ties, but also in emerging areas such as fintech, space, digital platforms, climate change and environment. Conclusion IAFS-IV arrives at a critical juncture. Given their long-term vision for robust economic growth and people-centric development; availability of a rich pool of young talented people; abundant minerals and natural resources, and increasing adoption of technology and innovation, India and Africa are poised to provide solutions to many of the world’s pressing challenges. The Summit also provides an opportunity to institutionalise a future-oriented partnership between India and Africa anchored in new sectors of cooperation such as space, fintech, ICT and innovation, e-mobility, agro-processing, textiles, and green growth. I would like to end by quoting Dr. S. Jaishankar, Hon'ble External Affairs Minister of India: The Summit will provide a platform to shape the next phase of the India-Africa partnership - one that is more ambitious, one that is more inclusive, and one that is more future-oriented. The author is the High Commissioner of India to Rwanda.
