External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar has said Africa will continue to be at the top of India’s priorities. Addressing the Africa Day celebrations in New Delhi yesterday, Dr. Jaishankar said India’s partnership with Africa goes beyond strategic concerns and economic benefits. He stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi redefined India’s engagement in Africa by outlining its 10 guiding principles. These include India’s commitment to liberate Africa’s potential by building local capacity and creating local opportunities, keeping markets open, and sharing India’s experience with the digital revolution to support Africa’s development.

The External Affairs Minister highlighted that India has also been at the forefront of providing capacity-building and training to African candidates under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation programme. On the trade and economic front, India is the fourth largest trading partner for Africa, with a bilateral trade of about 100 billion dollars and cumulative investments of more than 75 billion dollars.