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Closer Indo-Africa relations just right
2008-04-09 09:26:08
By Editor
President Jakaya Kikwete and a dozen other African leaders or their representatives are representing the continent at a two-day Africa-India Heads of State summit that opened in New Delhi yesterday.
India is acknowledged as one of the world\'s emerging economic powerhouse, while all economic blocs in Africa will be represented at the summit.
This should be enough reason for the New Delhi deliberations to lead to more meaningful links between and among all the respective parties.
African economic blocs such as the new-look East African Community (EAC), the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern African States (Comesa), and the InterGovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) have done an immense lot for the continent.
The situation is much similar with regard to the more recently established New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad), whose current chairman, Ghanaian President John Kufuor, is among those attending the New Delhi summit.
It is noteworthy that the countries represented at the summit have been picked in line with the AU`s recommendations, with emphasis placed on the need to ensure that no regions is skipped or plays second fiddle to any other.
The modalities used in deciding who should be in India for the forum have thus ensured that the five Nepad founding committee member states - Algeria, Egypt, South Africa, Senegal and Nigeria - attend alongside Ethiopia in its capacity as Chair of the implementing committee.
The Indian government has been quoted as having described capacity building, skills development, agriculture (crop diversification, water management), food security, economic cooperation, research work, education, and information and communication technology (ICT) as some of the items high on the summit`s agenda.
It has been learnt that a pre-summit ministerial meeting has agreed on these as the priority areas - and gone on to approve a joint declaration and a framework for cooperation towards that noble end.
It is heartening hearing that the New Delhi Declaration covers issues of bilateral regional and international interest to India and Africa, among them a common position on reforms in the United Nations and the World Trade Organisation as well as climate change and international terrorism.
Meanwhile, the areas of common interest that the framework spells out include governance, human resources, institutional capacity building, education, science and technology, agricultural productivity, industrial growth, including small and medium enterprises, and the mining sector.
Others are development of the health sector, infrastructure and ICT and modernization of judicial systems and police and defence establishments.
Tanzania, India and all the other countries represented at the summit know that developments relating to these issues have a direct bearing on their very survival.
They will also admit that they badly need all the assistance possible to surmount the problems they commonly encounter as they seek to advance.
India has stated that in moving to enhance business and other links with African countries, it is neither looking at gains nor looking to compete with anyone. They should find it a useful partner.
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