President visits Benin, The Gambia & Guinea
The growing importance that India attaches to Africa was again in evidence as President Ram Nath Kovind embarked on his next seven-day (July 28 to August 3) threenation visit to the western African countries of Benin, Gambia and Guinea, the first by an Indian head of state.
The three resource-rich nations are part of the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Western Africa is among the fastest growing regions in the continent, accounting for 25% of the African GDP. The President's visit is "part of India's continuing outreach to the African continent, and the growing focus on Africa," Vijay Thakur Singh, Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said at a briefing prior to the visit.
"Engagement with Africa is one of the priorities of India's foreign policy. We are looking at countries where high-level visits had not taken place, and identified the countries of ECOWAS for special focus, and they are members of the ECOSOC as well. India is working with these countries on developing programmes as per their priorities," she said and added India also looked to engage with these countries bilaterally, in trade and commerce.
In Benin, the President will hold delegation-level talks with his counterpart Patrice Talon. He will also address Benin's National Assembly in Porto-Novo and meet the Indian community and the persons of Indian origin (PIOs), who number around 1,500. They are mostly involved in trade and small businesses.
"Relations with Benin have been growing steadily. India is involved in trade, including private sector trade, capacity building, ITEC (Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation) programme, and development assistance programmes," Singh said.
The visit to the three countries "reiterates India's growing relations with the ECOWAS. Benin is an important country and one of the fastest growing in the region," she said.
In the second leg, Kovind will reach Gambia on July 30 and hold talks with his Gambian counterpart Adama Barrow. He will address, in capital Banjul, the National Assembly, developed with Indian lines of credit, and also attend an event by the Indian community. He is scheduled to inaugurate an exhibition on Mahatma Gandhi and Khadi during the visit.
Gambia, on the Atlantic Ocean coast, is known for its bauxite reserves. India has provided USD1.2 million aid for use of drones and early warning systems for the weather, besides ITEC and ICCR scholarships, she said. In the final leg, President Kovind will visit Guinea and hold talks with President Alpha Conde and also attend an Indian community event.
MoUs and agreements would be signed with all three countries during the visit, she said. As part of its increasing engagement with the African continent, India is in the process of opening 18 new missions, of which seven will be in west Africa, highlighting the priority given the region. Kovind's visit was his fourth to Africa, Ashok Malik, Press Secretary to the President, said.
Trade between India and Africa has increased almost eight-fold from USD 7.2 billion in 2001 to USD 59.9 billion at the end of 2017, making the continent India’s fourth largest trade partner. Trade with India constitutes 6.4% of Africa’s trade with the world. However, despite the growth, trade between the two is still driven by a limited number of products; from Africa, mostly primary commodities and natural resources, while India’s exports mostly comprise refined petroleum and pharmaceutical products.
The President’s visit to the three nations is intended to identify more sectors to enhance the trade potential between India and African nations. Studies have shown that the potential for expanding trade is significant, with projections even indicating that India – Africa trade could double by 2021.