Made Africa top priority after assuming office: Modi

Lauding the doubling of India-Africa bilateral trade in last five years to $72 billion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said he had made Africa a top priority for India’s foreign and economic policy after assuming office in 2014.

Speaking at the 52nd annual meeting of the African Development Bank (AfDB) at Gandhinagar, Modi said that over the decades, India-Africa ties had grown stronger.

“Over the decades, our ties have grown stronger. Trade between India and Africa has multiplied in the last 15 years, and doubled in last five years. I am proud to say there is no country in Africa that hasn’t been visited by an Indian minister in the last three years. After assuming office in 2014, I have made Africa a top priority for India’s foreign and economic policy,” said Modi.

Highlighting similar challenges faced by India and Africa in terms of upliftment of farmers, poverty, rural development and infrastructure, Modi assured India’s support in addressing the same.

According to AfDB president Akinwumi A Adesina, Africa has been expecting India’s co-operation in areas like solar power, food and agriculture and infrastructure such as railways. On the other hand, Modi talked about the success of training African women in skill development such as working on solar panels and circuits as well as empowerment of illiterate and semi-literate women through other skills like basket-making, bee-keeping and kitchen gardening.

Talking about his government’s initiatives in the past three years, Modi said that the government had launched an initiative to double farmers’ income by 2022, even as it looked to bring electricity to all villages.

“By the next year, no village India will be without electricity. Our Clean Ganga, Renewable Energy, Digital India, Smart Cities, Housing for All and Skill India Missions are preparing us for a cleaner, more prosperous, faster growing and modern new India,” Modi said.

He said that doubling of farmers’ income would, however, require concerted steps including improved seeds and optimal inputs as well as reduced crop losses and better marketing infrastructure.

Listing the government’s steps and achievements in the three years, Modi said that the fiscal deficit, balance of payments deficit, and inflation had come down even as GDP growth rate, foreign exchange reserves and public capital investment had risen in the said period.