(4 Minutes Read)
Interview with Gurmeet Singh
Executive Director, ESC
As the twin events -INDIASOFT 2025 and India Electronics Expo- are nearing, the office of the organiser- Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council, popularly known as ESC- is bustling with activities of all hues. The ESC secretariat is busy catching up with exhibition-related works and deadlines.
Trying to meet up with the man who is in the midst of these unending tasks of resolving last-minute hitches and misses is an onerous task, to say the least. Yet, we made it. Leaving aside his nagging preoccupations though, amid calls and occasional intrusions of office colleagues to seek advice on issues that cannot wait to be sorted out. That could have affected the free flow of discussion, but Gurmeet was resilient to such disruptions and gave his views in his characteristic style: short, crisp, and without frills and fringes.
While sipping the hot tea, Gurmeet marshalled his thoughts for the freewheeling interview, which I told him beforehand would be more Africa-centric since that is the focus of our two platforms: www.trendsnafrica.com and Africa4U,
Our first question was basic: How are both shows INDIASOFT 2025 and 9th Electronic Hardware Expo, relevant to the African region, and how, over the years, have the shows helped cement ICT’s relationship with two regions?
Gurmeet was circumspect and, through a measured tone, said that Africa, perhaps, is the region that benefited most from the shows, particularly INDIASOFT. ” As we celebrate the 25th year of INDIASOFT this year, Africa is the most represented region, followed by Latin America, SAARC, CIS, and the Middle East” he avers, adding that amongst the 55 countries in the region, a good number of them have been participating regularly and clinching business deals.
Should that mean an increased ICT trade with the African region? “Yes, not alone with Africa, but also with regions like Latin America, CIS, SAARC, etc,” says Gurmeet, doling out data to substantiate the points he made both in terms of software and hardware exports and the number of Indian companies setting up production bases in the region. The positioning of Indian firms in the software sector in various African countries is a known factor, and that tempo is picking up as digitisation in the continent is picking up.
Indian companies are taking over many ICT units in various countries, such as Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Nigeria. “Let me take a very recent example: India-born Prateek Suri, who has large ICT operations in Africa, particularly in Tanzania, under the brand name Maser Group, has acquired SCG Asia in a deal reported to be USD 5 billion. He also leads MDR Investments, a venture capital firm specialising in mining, infrastructure, shipping, and Artificial Intelligence,” points out ESC CEO.
Also, Indian telecom major Airtel has operations in 14 countries in Africa and is adjudged as the second-largest telecom company in the continent, after South Africa-headquartered MTN Group. Almost all Indian software majors have operations in Africa in multiple locations, taking advantage of the near-shoring concept of servicing European companies, particularly from North African countries such as Morocco. In 2030, the FIFA World CUP will be co-hosted by Morocco, Portugal and Spain. That will present tremendous business opportunities for Indian IT companies.
Gurmeet says that there is a need to publicise the expanding footprints of Indian companies in Africa since the public perception is that India is grossly lagging behind China, the US, and the EU in operations in Africa. “That may be true in terms of the quantum of investments since India does not have much exposure in sectors like infrastructure, energy, etc; but we have considerable presence in IT, ITeS, e-commerce, manufacturing, setting up malls and hypermarkets, etc”, Gurmeet reveals.
What is the strategy of ESC for expanding India’s presence in the ICT sector in Africa? Over the years, ESC has been working not alone in the African region but also in destinations like Latin America, CIS, and SAARC. “I agree our strategy has to be country-specific since in Africa, we have countries that belong to the Middle-Income Group and that are least developed and we have to carefully weave the strategy suiting to each condition,” he points out. Software sector: India should develop more complex software and solutions that are critically needed by the mining sector, banks, fintech, airports, governance, and hospitality sectors. That requires moving up in the value chain from the basic solutions needed for education, training, banking, etc.
“I feel hardware is an area that needs a lot of careful treatment, and I believe there are mind-boggling avenues available for Indian companies, which already have a significant presence,” Gurmeet points out. Africa has a great market for selling refurbished electronic goods and gadgets, medical equipment, and mobile phones,” he says, mentioning that the Indian policy framework provides for refurbishing goods and either re-exporting or exporting to third countries. Also, the recycling of electronic goods is gaining traction, particularly for minimising waste. There can be various possibilities, such as manufacturing health gadgets like wearable watches, glucometers, sphygmomanometers, etc, meant for destinations in Africa or Latin America, which can ideally suit their pockets.
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Is there any way to quantify the impact of ESC expos over the years? “There are ways in which our impact can be measured,” he opines as he starts looking at his watch, an indication for me to wind up the one-to-one. Foremost is the traction that India has gained in software exports. When INDIASOFT was launched in 2000, India’s software exports were mostly to the US, accounting for over 90%. But now, the dependence on the US market is reduced to below 55%, as ESC data indicates. That means alternative markets have been developed as India has a software presence in over 150 countries, reducing dependence on the US market. The same is the case with electronics hardware exports. From an importer of mobile phones a few years ago, India is one of the largest exporters, bringing in over USD 13 billion annually. That feat is going to be replicated in sectors like medical equipment, consumer electronics, etc.
On that positive note, we concluded our exclusive interview wishing him another round of success in the forthcoming events to be held in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, from 19th to 21st March 2025.
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