India’s external affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar has indicated that plans are afoot to organise the India Africa summit. The last such summit happened in 2015 in Delhi and while work was on to organise it last year it could not materialise. The 2015 India Africa summit was attended by leaders and representatives from all 54 African nations and the African Union, making it one of the largest gatherings of African leaders outside Africa.
Speaking at Africa Day, EAM said, “India and Africa must engage and must work together very closely. In this regard, we look forward to organising the IAFS IV Summit, and we seek your support to do so. We hope that the event would provide a more contemporary agenda of cooperation between us.”
At the Africa Day celebrations in Delhi, Dr S Jaishankar detailed Delhi’s support for the continent. Nearly 40,000 Africans have been trained in India under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) program. Under the program, since 2019, more than 15,000 youths from 22 African countries have received scholarships for various degree and diploma courses in disciplines such as computer applications, business administration, commerce, social sciences, and humanities.
Currently, over 23,000 African students live and study in India. Indian Govt has also established several educational institutions in Africa, including the Indian Institute of Technology in Zanzibar (Tanzania), the National Forensic Science University in Uganda, and Entrepreneurship Development Centres in Rwanda.
Dr Jaishankar also reiterated India’s support for African representation in global governance structures. “Given our shared struggles, it is natural that we are supportive of a greater role for Africa in the United Nations and other multilateral fora,” he said. He affirmed India’s backing of the African Union’s ‘Ezulwini Consensus’ and the ‘Sirte Declaration,’ which call for significant reforms in the United Nations Security Council to include African representation. Under India’s G20 Presidency, the African Union became a member of the G20, a major economic grouping.
Meanwhile, in an effort to bolster people-to-people engagement, India has also extended e-visa facilities to 33 African countries. Additionally, India has expanded its diplomatic presence on the continent, opening 16 new diplomatic missions which brings the total number of Indian missions in Africa to 45.
Sidhant Sibal
Sidhant Sibal is the principal diplomatic correspondent for WION. When he is not working, you will find him playing with his dog.
Source link : https://www.wionews.com/world/eam-jaishankar-work-on-to-organise-india-africa-summit-735242
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Publish date : 2024-06-26 07:16:38
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