Mukherjee promotes trade in Africa
India is increasing its engagement with Africa and is extending US$10 billion of additional concessional lines of credit, President Pranab Mukherjee said on concluding his week-long visit from June 12, 2016, to three states.
The lines of credit were announced during the Third India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS-III) in New Delhi in October, 2015. India is also making US$600 million grant assistance.
“I have concluded successful State visits to Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire and Namibia from June 12-18, 2016,” said the President in a statement on return to New Delhi on Jun 17 from Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire and Namibia.
“I urged the governments of the three countries to take maximum advantage of announcements made by India for Africa during IAFS-III, especially the US $10 billion additional concessional lines of credit,” he said.
“These visits reflect the importance that India attaches to enhancing our bilateral relations with these important countries of Africa. They also indicate our determination to provide fresh momentum to India’s engagement with Africa in follow up to the successful organization of the IAFS-III in New Delhi in October, 2015,” he said.
In Ghana, Mukherjee met President John Dramani Mahama and noted tremendous goodwill and strong desire to further strengthen relations with India.
Three agreements/MoUs were signed on exemption from visa requirement for holders of Diplomatic and Official Passports, on the establishment of a Joint Commission and between the Foreign Service Institutes of the two countries.
“We decided that current level of trade does not reflect the potential of bilateral trade and should be increased to at least US $ 5 billion by 2020.”
India–Ghana trade has almost doubled over the past year from US$1.94 billion in 2014-15 to US$3.6 billion in 2015–16.
In Cote d’Ivoire, President Alassane Ouattara conferred the country’s highest national honour, the Grande Croix Commandeur in the National Merit Order, on Mukherjee.
A Headquarters agreement for opening of a regional office of EXIM Bank of India in Abidjan was signed during the visit. Tata Motors has also agreed to supply 500 buses.
The Cote d’Ivoire leadership acknowledged and appreciated India’s developmental assistance. India has till date extended lines of credit amounting to US$136.2 million in diverse fields such as agriculture processing, transport, rural electrification and transmission, fisheries etc.
“We agreed during the visit to work to double current bilateral trade by 2020, taking it to around US$2 billion,” said Mukherjee.
In Namibia, Mukherjee briefed the Namibian leadership on the initiatives of Indian Government in various fields.
“We explored possibilities of new synergy in areas such as defence, energy, minerals and IT. We also discussed the need to expand cooperation in renewable energy, agriculture, capacity building, development cooperation and multilateral issues such as UN reforms, terrorism, climate change and sustainable development,” he said.
President Dr. Hage Geingob has assured Namibia would explore ways to supply Uranium to India. It was agreed that a technical team from both sides would meet at the earliest to discuss the way forward.
“India is committed to further consolidate our cooperation with all African countries. Drawing lessons from our own colonial experience, we will continue to focus on capacity building, with a view to strengthening their self-reliance,” he said.
“We will remain an active partner in Africa’s nation building efforts even as we strengthen our political, economic and trade relations with all 54 countries of the continent,” Mukherjee stressed. fii-news.com
