(4 minutes read)
· Dr. S Jaishankar, Union Minister of External Affairs, addressing the 15th CII – Exim Bank Digital Conclave on India – Africa Project Partnership recently said that India kept its supply lines open during the peak of the COVID pandemic and ensured that critical supplies such as medicines and medical equipment reached countries in need in Africa
· The minister said that Africa remained at the top of India’s priorities with 194 development projects in 37 countries and 77 more projects in 29 countries were in the pipeline
· These projects were in the areas of ICT, water, agriculture, infrastructure development among others
Dr. S Jaishankar, Union Minister of External Affairs, addressing the 15th CII – Exim Bank Digital Conclave on India – Africa Project Partnership recently said that India kept its supply lines open during the peak of the COVID pandemic and ensured that critical supplies such as medicines and medical equipment reached countries in need in Africa.
The minister said that Africa remained at the top of India’s priorities with 194 development projects in 37 countries and 77 more projects in 29 countries were in the pipeline. These projects were in the areas of ICT, water, agriculture, infrastructure development among others. He referred to digitalization as being a force multiplier and stated that India’s e-VidyaBharati and e-AarogyaBharati projects were empowering Africans in terms of tele-education and tele-medicine. Similarly, India’s ITEC programme was helping build IT capacity in Africa.
The Minister observed that Indian industry had also invested in a big way in Africa with investments in consumer goods, automotives and pharmaceuticals among others. He stated that India’s oil and gas companies had invested US$ 7 billion in oil exploration in Mozambique and South Sudan.
Others who spoke at the meeting included Mr.Otunba Niyi Adebayo, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Ms Raychelle Awour Omamo, Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Republic of Kenya, Dr Mohammad Anwar Husnoo, Vice-Prime Minister, Republic of Mauritius, Mr Sylvestre Ilunga, Prime Minister, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mr Uday Kotak, President, CII and Mr David Rasquinha, Managing Director, Exim Bank of India.
