India’s prime minister has kicked off a four-nation African tour, including countries that haven’t been visited by an Indian leader in more than three decades.
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Mozambique is the first nation to be visited by Prime Minister Modi on his 5-day Africa tour. India commitment to buy pulses from Mozambique would help meet India’s requirement.It will also facilitate long-term investments in commercial farming, generate farm employment and raise farmer’s incomes in this country.
India and Africa are together home to a third of the world’s population, but neither India nor any African country has a permanent seat on the council, which is made up of China, Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom and France. Energy and food security will be key issues.
“India also provided consistent support to the liberation movement during South Africa’s struggle for democracy and was at the forefront within multilateral forums, such as the United Nations and the Non-Aligned Movement, in promoting worldwide efforts towards South Africa’s liberation”, she added.
He identified agriculture, healthcare, energy security, security, defence and skill development as some of the areas having potential for cooperation. No Indian airline has direct connections with Africa. He is also expected to visit Johannesburg, Pietermaritzburg and Durban.
“We want development and economic progress to benefit the people”. The networks of terror are inter-linked with other trans-national crimes.
“Our partnership is also driven by a convergence of capacities and interests”.
He said his talks with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta would revolve around how India and Kenya could grow their bilateral cooperation.
“India will be donating essential medicines for the Mozambican public health system, including medicines for treatment of AIDS”, he said.
India’s relationship with the African continent may be a centuries-old civilisational compact but as Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks to reinvigorate that relationship in all its nuances and across the full spectrum of diplomatic ties, the focus must, first and foremost, be on intensifying political engagement.
The Prime Minister also mentioned the 20,000 Mozambican citizens of Indian origin and described them as “a living bridge between our economies and our societies”.
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“As the NDA Government is about to reach a half-way mark, the Cabinet reshuffle along with other initiatives like the recent textile package, liberalisation in FDI rules would counter those who thought Narendra Modi Government may not be able to pursue the pace of reforms and decision making in the second part of its innings”.
