Sri Lanka revitalising its Africa policy

THE next great change in Sri Lanka’s relations with African nations is within sight.

The new foreign policy, Revitalised Africa, seeks to enhance Sri Lanka’s co-operation in the political, economic and cultural spheres across Africa.

The Revitalised Africa foreign policy aims to optimise the strategic links and co-operation through the 54 member-AU, where Sri Lanka received Observer Status in 2014.

The Revitalised Africa policy was prepared by the Sri Lankan Foreign Relations Ministry in consultation with line agencies. On December 11, further attempts were made to draw attention to the Revitalised Africa foreign policy initiative during the inaugural session of the Bilateral Political Consultations between Sri Lanka and Egypt held at the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs in Cairo. This was presided over by ambassador Mounir Zahran, chairperson of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs on the theme “Sri Lanka – Egypt Relations and Strengthening Sri Lanka’s Relations with the African Continent”.

Revisiting the importance of close co-operation between Sri Lanka and African states, Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary HE Ravinatha Aryasinha expressed the hope that creating greater awareness of Africa and its emerging opportunities within Sri Lanka, and of Sri Lanka within African countries, could build on long-standing links towards more substantive and productive outcomes.

The structural question of binding the two economically important common markets of South Asia and Africa is central for understanding the future prospects of bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and Africa.

Such openings could advance initiatives to build beneficial ties to achieve full potential in economic growth for Sri Lanka and African nations.

It’s the task of the foreign policymakers of both Sri Lanka and African nations to deal with this special phase in accessing South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) and African continent consumer markets by exploring the Revitalised Africa “foreign policy” initiative.

Sri Lanka’s geostrategic position in the Indian Ocean connecting east and west on the new Maritime Silk Road and its possibility of accessing South Asia’s 1.5 billion consumer market offers the opportunity for the South Asian island nation to be a logistic hub for the African common markets.

On the one hand, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, Algeria Mauritius and littoral states like the Seychelles are some of the main engines of growth among the African states. For both Africa and South Asian littoral countries like Sri Lanka and Seychelles are important for its geopolitical significance. These littoral nations can take giant leaps if Revitalised Africa foreign policy can be fast-tracked.

Liberalised markets like Sri Lanka make it easier for large African economies to compete with globally competitive markets. The ties between African economies and Sri Lanka can be taken to a whole new level if the policymakers can succeed in binding African common markets with the SAARC.

African nations and Sri Lankan policymakers must reinforce the Revitalised Africa foreign policy initiative to new heights of collaboration.