India urged to help develop infrastructure
Namibian Minister of Industrialisation and Trade Lucia has Indian Industry to invest in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, agriculture and food processing, healthcare and ICT in her country, which can also be a gateway to the Southern African region.
Namibia could act as a gateway to the Southern Africa region through its membership of the Sothern African Development Community (SADC), the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) and now through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Iipumbu told the Ministerial Session on “Enhancing India’s Trade & Investment with Africa through Bilateral, Regional & Continental level Partnership” on 24 Sept 2020.
The AfCFTA will expand Intra–Africa trade and India was invited to be at the forefront of this transformation, Angola’s Secretary of State for Industry, Ivan Magalhães do Prado assured the session of the 15th CII–Exim Bank Digital Conclave on India–Africa Project Partnership.
“India needed Africa as much as Africa needed India,” he underlined.
Some of the areas that India and Angola could work together included telecom, oil and gas and pharmaceuticals, he said.
Uganda’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Amelia Anne Kyambadde has encouraged India to use AfCFTA as a platform to access the African Continent.
She suggested that India should develop infrastructure in terms of railways, air and maritime through a PPP approach.
India should not just extract mineral resources but also value adds to them, said the Minister, adding that skilling of youth was another area that the Indian industry could look at.
Rwanda’s Minister of Trade and Industry Soraya Hakuziyaremye called on
Indian companies could help Africa address its supply-side constraints, especially with the AfCFTA becoming a reality.
She noted that Indian companies had already invested in sectors such as manufacturing, ICT and real estate among others.
Congo’s Minister of External Trade Jean-Lucien Bussa Tongba highlighted opportunities in Africa for Indian companies especially sectors like agriculture, fisheries and hydrocarbons among others.
He called on the Indian industry to consider investing in mining, cement, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals etc. Congo, he said, had huge availability of arable land and forest resources which could be exploited.
India should focus on the transfer of technology, value addition to primary products and infrastructure development, said Roy Kachale, Malawi’s Minister of Industry, stressing the need to focus on high-tech cooperation.
Ghana’s Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry Robert Ahomka-Lindsay added that the Exim Bank of India could help finance procurement of machinery, technology and know-how.
He also suggested that CII and the Association of Ghana Industries should work together to facilitate private sector cooperation between the Indian and Ghanian Industry.
Kenya’s Chief Administrative Secretary, Ministry of Industrialization, Trade and Enterprise Development Lawrence Karanja reaffirmed the continent’s potential especially the large tracts of arable land for the Indian industry to undertake the agricultural activity. The Indian industry can also supply to a large market for manufactured goods.
Aliyu Mohammed Abubakar, Director General – Trade Bilateral, of Nigeria invited Indian investment in minerals, agriculture, power & energy, infrastructure development and human resource development.
The CII – JETRO Report on “Japan- India Business Cooperation in Asia Africa Region” was launched at the session along with a website on India-Japan Business Cooperation in Asia – Africa. #Africa #trade #investment #projects #agriculture /fiinews.com
