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Press Release
Opening Address by Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India at the
Plenary Session-I of the India-Africa Forum Summit (Vigyan
Bhavan; New Delhi; April 8, 2008)
Distinguished
Heads of State and Government
Distinguished Vice Presidents
Distinguished Ministers
Distinguished Chairperson of the African Union Commission
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am truly delighted and deeply honoured to have this opportunity to
welcome this distinguished galaxy of leaders from Africa for the first
India-Africa Forum Summit. Excellencies, your presence here today marks
the start of a new chapter in the long history of civilisational
contact, friendship and cooperation between India and Africa.
Africa is our Mother Continent. The dynamics of geology may have led our
lands to drift apart, but history, culture and the processes of
post-colonial development have brought us together once again.
For the people of India,
Africa is also the land of awakening of the Father of our Nation,
Mahatma Gandhi. The birth of an independent India in 1947 in turn
provided powerful support to the forces of nationalism and
decolonisation in Africa. The emergence of Ghana as the first
independent country in sub-Saharan Africa in 1957 was followed by the
tumultuous decades of the sixties, seventies, and eighties culminating
in the end of apartheid in 1994 in the very same land that had created
the Mahatma.
Ever since independence, our national leaders led by such towering
personalities as Jawaharlal Nehru, Mrs. Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi
have been ardent champions of the cause of Indo-African cooperation.
We pay tribute to the political leaders and intellectuals of Africa who
fought for Africa’s emancipation, empowerment and laid the vision of
pan-Africanism in the 20th century.
As I look into the 21st
Century, I am convinced that the free people of a new Africa and a new
India will come even closer, through mutually beneficial relationships
based on equality and fraternity.
We share a common societal commitment to pluralism, to inclusiveness and
to the creation of a world that is fair to all its inhabitants. Our
shared vision of the world should enable us to work together on the
vital challenges facing humanity. We have coordinated our position in
the United Nations and other international forums. No one understands
better than India and Africa the imperative need for global institutions
to reflect current realities and to build a more equitable global
economy and polity.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The time has come to create a new architecture for our engagement in the
21st century. We visualize a partnership that is anchored in the
fundamental principles of equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit.
Working together, the two billion people of India and Africa can set an
example of fruitful cooperation in the developing world.
The objective of our
partnership is to cooperate with all the countries of Africa, within the
limits of our capacities and capabilities, in their efforts towards
achieving economic vibrancy, peace, stability and self-reliance. Towards
this end, it is our intention to become a close partner in Africa’s
resurgence.
There is much to be gained in sharing our development experiences. In
India we have sought to empower our people by investing in their
capabilities and widening their development options. Transfer of
knowledge and human skills will strengthen our mutual capabilities. Such
exchanges must go beyond government-to-government interactions and
embrace our civil society, academics, artists and writers. We face
emergent common challenges of food security, energy security, pandemics,
terrorism and climate change. We should have cooperative mechanisms for
exchange of views, consultation and for working out common strategies
for addressing such pressing issues.
The Delhi Declaration and the Africa-India Framework for Cooperation
that we plan to issue at the end of the Summit will provide the
blueprint for India-Africa dialogue and engagement in the 21st century.
Excellencies, Ladies and
Gentlemen,
We recognize the crucial importance of market access in ensuring the
development dimension of international trade. Accordingly, I am happy to
announce a Duty Free Tariff Preference Scheme for Least Developed
Countries on the occasion of this Summit. Under this Scheme, India shall
unilaterally provide preferential market access for exports from all 50
least developed countries, 34 of which are in Africa. The Scheme will
cover 94% of India’s total tariff lines. Specifically, it will provide
preferential market access on tariff lines that comprise 92.5% of global
exports of all LDCs. Products of immediate interest to Africa which are
covered include cotton, cocoa, aluminium ores, copper ores, cashew nuts,
cane sugar, ready-made garments, fish fillets and non-industrial
diamonds.
Our cooperation must actively co-opt trade and industry in the processes
of growth and development in Africa. Over the last few years, India has
acquired considerable experience in undertaking projects in different
countries in Africa through extension of concessional lines of credit by
the EXIM Bank of India.
So far, between 2003-04 and 2008-09, we have extended lines of credit
amounting to 2.15 billion dollars. Over the next five years, we will
more than double this amount and offer additional lines of credit
amounting to 5.4 billion dollars, both bilaterally and to the regional
economic communities of Africa.
Developing infrastructure in the areas of railways, IT, telecom and
power generation and physical connectivity in Africa would be a
priority. We will promote activities of small, medium and micro
enterprises. In this task, we will reach out to the private sector and
make full use of public-private partnerships.
It is also our intention
to enhance the Aid to Africa budget of the Ministry of External Affairs
for implementing projects in critical areas focusing on human resource
development and capacity building. Over the next 5 to 6 years, we
propose to undertake projects against grants in excess of 500 million
dollars.
We will strengthen local capabilities by creating regional and
pan-African institutions of higher education, especially in sciences, IT
and vocational education, and investment in research and development in
renewable forms of energy, and agricultural development.
We will enhance opportunities for African students to pursue higher
studies in India. As an immediate measure we propose to double our
long-term scholarships for undergraduates, postgraduates and higher
courses and increase the number of training slots under our technical
assistance programmes from 1100 to 1600 every year.
Both India and Africa are blessed with young populations. It is only by
investing in the creative energies of our youth that the potential of
our partnership will be fulfilled. To harness this vast potential, I
propose that we work towards the establishment of an India-Africa
Volunteer Corps that is devoted to development work. The Volunteer Corps
can on a pilot basis identify projects in the areas of public health,
informal education and women’s empowerment. As we gather more
experience, the scope of activities can be progressively widened.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
India’s commitment to peace, stability and socio-economic development in
Africa and for it to play an ever-growing role in international
relations is steadfast. The 21st century is often described as the Asian
century. India wishes to see the 21st century as the Century of Asia and
Africa with the people of the two continents working together to promote
inclusive globalisation.
Events in India and Africa in the middle of the 20th century changed the
world. Today we have a second chance to take charge of our own destiny,
and give new meaning to the concept of sustainable, equitable and
environment-friendly development. We look forward to hearing your
thoughts and benefiting from your wisdom on how we can together shape a
better life for our future generations.
I would like to once again thank you, Excellencies, for having accepted
my invitation to join us in New Delhi for this First India-Africa Forum
Summit. I wish you a very pleasant stay in India. |
