Africa (South of Sahara)

Introduction

As in the past, the period under review saw a continuation of the high-level of interaction with the countries of the African continent. The special priority attached to the region, with whom our ties have been both longstanding and time-tested, was underlined by the visit of Prime Minister Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee to Namibia, South Africa and Mauritius in August-September, 1998. It is significant that this visit to Africa was the first foreign visit by the Prime Minister outside the sub-continent.

In addition to a series of high-level exchanges with most countries of the region, the year also saw the visit to India of both Prime Minister Dr Navinchandra Ramgoolam and Vice-President Mr A V Chettiar of Mauritius. India‘s ties with Mauritius are one of kinship, and these high-level visits further cemented the already close ties between the two countries.

A significant element of India’s relationship with sub-Saharan Africa was the growing level of economic interaction. The overall volume of trade with the region exceeded Rs.10,000 crores. Endeavours in the area of economic cooperation were particularly significant for the growing appreciation across the African region of India‘s prowess - and its special relevance to Africa – in the fields of small and medium-scale industrial enterprises, and agriculture. The already well-established respect for India’s expertise in the human development sector was reinforced. A wide-ranging political dialogue with several key countries in the region displayed a considerable degree of understanding of India’s security interests.

Bilateral

India’s relations with the countries of East Africa are marked by friendship and cordiality. The relations between India and Mauritius continued to grow during the period. Prime Minister Shri A B Vajpayee paid an official visit to Mauritius on 3-4 September, 1998. During the visit a Protocol on Cooperation in the field of Meteorology and a Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement was signed. Prime Minister Dr Navinchandra Ramgoolam paid a state visit to India on 13-19 October , 1998. The Vice President of Mauritius Mr A V Chettiar visited India on 26 December, 1998 to 8 January, 1999. Ms Marie Claude Arouff-Parfait, the Mauritian Minister for Youth and Sports visited India in January-February, 1999. During the visit a Protocol each on Cooperation in the field of Sports and Youth Affairs were signed. Cooperation in the sectors of education, science and technology, information technology, trade and industry was further intensified.

Shri Suresh P Prabhu, Minister for Environment and Forests visited Kenya to attend the Special Session of the Governing Council of the United Nations and Environment Programme at Nairobi in May 1998. General DRC Tonje, Chief of General Staff, Kenyan Armed Forces visited India on 20-28 March, 1998. General V P Malik, Chief of Army Staff of India visited Kenya in July 1998. The High Commission of India organised a seminar on "India-Kenya Relations : Vision - 2000" in Nairobi on July 14, 1998. Two prominent Kenyan Ministers i.e. Dr Bonaya Godana, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Hon. S Nyachae, Minister for Finance delivered key-note addresses at the Seminar. Shri A N Ram, former Secretary, MEA, Shri Amit Mitra, Secretary General, FICCI and Shri Pavan K Varma, JS, MEA attended the Seminar. The scope for Kenya to learn from India's development experience was under-scored, as was the potential for enhancing the level of interaction in Indo-Kenyan cooperation in all fields. India organised "India-Tech 98" on 1-4 September, 1998 at Nairobi. More than 60 companies from India displayed their goods and technology at the show. The show received considerable attention from the Government and the business community of Kenya. The exposition show-cased India’s capabilities, the comparative and cost effective quality of its technologies and their appropriateness to local needs. The exposition was inaugurated by Shri Som Pal, Minister for State for Agriculture. He also discussed matters of mutual concern with a number of Kenyan Ministers. Hon. J J Kamotho, Kenyan Minister for Trade accompanied by a trade delegation visited India on November 11-13, 1998. Apart from his meetings with Shri R K Hegde, Minister of Commerce, he also led the Kenyan side at the Joint Trade Committee Meeting held during the visit. Shri S T Devare, Secretary(ER) visited Nairobi on 20-25 November, 1998 and held discussions with his Kenyan counterpart on various matters of mutual concern.

India’s growing relations with Uganda were further strengthened during the period under review. Ugandan President Mr Y Museveni made a transit halt at Mumbai in April 1998. The first Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mr Eriya Kategaya paid a private visit to India from 28 April to June 1, 1998. An exhibition by Building Materials Technology Promotion Council of India on low-cost housing was held in Kampala from 3-10 April, 1998. This was the biggest ever exhibition/fair in Uganda organised by India. It generated considerable interest in Uganda. During the year, Indian Council of Agricultural Research and National Agricultural Research Organisation of Uganda signed an Agreement on Cooperation in the field of Agricultural Research. Ugandan Minister for Higher Education, Dr. Abil Rwendeire led a delegation to India on 1-7 November, 1998. The Indo-Ugandan Joint Committee met in Kampala on 23-24 November, 1998. Shri S T Devare, Secretary (ER), led the Indian delegation. The Joint Committee deliberations identified several areas of mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries including the establishment of a small-scale industrial estate at Jinja, cooperation in commercial farming, human resource development, the identification of new areas such as information technology etc. Dr P Byarauhanga, Ugandan Minister of State for Health visited India in December 1998.

The Minister of Education of Rwanda visited India from May 18-21, 1998. During the visit, an Agreement between the Ministry of Education of Rwanda and Educational Consultants India Limited was signed. Under this Agreement ED.CIL is to facilitate admission of over 430 Rwandese students in various Indian universities/institutions. On a specific request by Rwandan Government a specialised training course for one month for 5 Rwandan dairy farmers was arranged at National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal.

During the year, several delegations from Ethiopia visited India seeking to gain from India’s development strategy and experience. These included a 20-member Ethiopian dairy farmers delegation, an 8-member veterinary delegation, a 10-member delegation of the Ministry of Finance, Industry and Trade and a 3-member pharmaceuticals delegation. A delegation from Ethiopia also came to study income-generating employment strategies for women in India. Ethiopia continued to recruit Indian professors and experts for its universities and technical training institutions. In May 1998, a Bilateral Cultural Exchange Programme (1998-2000) was signed with Ethiopia. India and Seychelles signed a Bilateral Trade Agreement at Mahe on 18 September, 1998. The agreement provides for most favourable nation facilities to imports from each other. The agreement also envisages the setting-up of a Joint Trade Council to review trade and commercial relations.

The ties of friendship and cooperation between India and Madagascar continued to expand further during the year. The President Mr Didier Ratsiraka met Prime Minister Shri A B Vajpayee, at Durban on the margins of the NAM Summit. The National Mineral Development Corporation signed an MOU on 11 September, 1998 with the Malagasy organisation for exploration of gold, and, Telecommunications Consultants India Limited bagged a contract worth US $ 9 million in Madagascar.

After a gap of nearly 20 years, India participated at the Dar-es-Salaam International Trade Fair in Tanzania and won the first prize in the foreign participation category.

India’s relations with the countries in southern Africa made significant progress during the year. The traditionally close and friendly relations between India and South Africa were sustained through exchanges of visits and bilateral consultations at all levels. Shri Brijesh Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, visited South Africa as a Special Envoy of the Prime Minister in July 1998 for bilateral consultations. General V P Malik, Chief of Army Staff of India visited South Africa in July 1998. The Deputy Minister in the South African Deputy President’s Office, Dr Essop Pahad, visited India on 2-10 October, 1998. Mr Mac Maharaj, the South African Minister of Transport visited India on 2-12 October, 1998. The 3rd meeting of the Indo-South Africa Joint Commission took place in Pretoria on 4-5 December, 1998. The meeting was chaired by Smt Vasundhra Raje, Minister of State for External Affairs and Mr Aziz Pahad, the South African Deputy Foreign Minister. The Joint Commission reviewed the progress of cooperation in the entire gamut of bilateral relations and identified areas where progress could be accelerated. An Agreement on Air Services was also signed during the meeting. These high level bilateral contracts served to reinforce and expand the existing areas of bilateral cooperation while at the same time opening new areas of cooperation. Other high level exchanges included the visits to South Africa of the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, the Minister of Mines, and the Minister of State for Rural Development and the visits to India by Mr Jay Naidoo, the Minister of Posts, Telecommunications and Broadcasting and Dr A M "Dullah" Omar, the Minister of Justice, Mr lsmail Mohamed, the Chief Justice of Supreme Court and Mr Narend Singh, the Minister for Agriculture of Kwazulu Natal served to provide further focus to bilateral cooperation in these areas.

The relations between India and Namibia were marked by the traditional sense of closeness and understanding. Prime Minister Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee paid an official visit to Namibia on August 30-31, 1998 at the invitation of President Sam Nujoma. During the visit, extensive talks were held on issues of bilateral interests, and subjects of multilateral concern. A prominent street in Windhoek was named after Mahatma Gandhi in the presence of India’s PM. Four important bilateral agreements in the areas of Technical Cooperation, Agricultural Research, Technology Demonstration and Foreign Office Consultations were signed. An Agreement facilitating exchange of information between Press Trust of India and Namibia Press Agency was also exchanged. President Laurent Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo met Prime Minister Shri A B Vajpayee in Windhoek in August 1998.

The Hon’ble Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Shri G M C Balayogi accompanied by 5 members of Parliament attended the 99th IPU meeting held in Windhoek in April 1998. Mr H Palichta, the Namibian Minister of Works, Transport and Communications visited India in August 1998. During the visit he held extensive talks on possibilities of cooperation between the two countries in the field of railways.

The relations between India and Zimbabwe continued to be warm and friendly. Shri Dilip Lahiri, Additional Secretary (UN), Ministry of External Affairs held consultations with his counterparts in the Zimbabwean Ministry of Foreign Affairs in May 1998. The first Indo-Zimbabwean Joint Trade Committee meeting was held in Harare from 17-19 August, 1998. The Indian delegation was led by Shri P P Prabhu, Commerce Secretary. TCIL of India won a major contract worth US $35 million in Zimbabwe during the year.

The relations between India and Zambia continued to grow during the period of the report. The India-Zambia Joint Trade Committee meeting was held in Lusaka on 6-7 January, 1999. The Indian delegation was led by Shri P P Prabhu, Commerce Secretary. The Conference of India's Commercial Representatives in the Region was also held at Lusaka on 8 January, 1999.

The Deputy Commander of the Botswana Defence Force, Major General T H C Masire visited India from 24-30 January, 1999.

The relations between India and the countries in West Africa continued to expand in all fields. Nigeria is an important trading partner of India in Africa with the volume of bilateral trade reaching Rs 3000 crores in 1998-99. General Olusegun Obasanjo, former Head of State of Nigeria paid a private visit to India in September 1998. In October 1998, the Chief of the Naval Staff Rear Admiral Jubrilia Ayinia paid an official visit to India. Nigeria is in lead up to national elections scheduled for February 1999. As a gesture of support for this transformative process, India has gifted indelible ink worth Rs 74.65 lakh for use during the elections.

Shri S S Barnala, Minister of Chemicals & Fertilizers and Consumer Affairs visited Dakar, Senegal on 7-10 November 1998 to attend the foundation laying ceremony as Chief Guest of the project of Industries Chimique Du Senegal in which IFFCO is an equity partner.

H.E. Mr Salifou Diallo, Minister of State, Minister for Environment and Water of Burkina Faso visited India over 12 &13 October, 1998 to exchange views on the ongoing aspects of bilateral cooperation.

India’s relations with Cote d’Ivoire have been improving steadily. A delegation organised by the EXIM Bank of India and the CII visited Cote d’Ivoire and also had discussions with the Abidjan based African Development Bank in May 1998.

Shri Kashiram Rana, the Minister of Textiles led a delegation of the Indian jute industry to Nigeria, Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire in August 1998 for promoting export of hydro-carbon free jute bags to the West African region.

India’s Assistance to African Countries

The Prime Minister of Senegal Mr Habib Thiam received 100 Indian tractors in May 1998 as part of the Agricultural Development Project being set up with India‘s assistance. India assisted Togo in rural development by gifting water pumps, sewing machines, corn grinding mills, and TATA mobile ambulances worth Rs 3.26 crores during the year. In Mali, a drilling rig gifted by India was installed and commissioned during the period of the report. Two TATA ambulances were handed over to President Sam Nujoma of Namibia on 17 November 1998 for use at a maternity clinic. Another gift of 10,000 litres of cooking oil and 5 tonnes of baby milk powder were formally handed over to President Sam Nujoma on 27 January 1999. A cheque for Rs. 10,00,000 was presented to President Mugabe by the Indian High Commissioner in support of the Jawaharlal Nehru-Robert Mugabe Trust Fund. As a gesture of solidarity and support; in the aftermath of the US bombing at Nairobi and Dar-es-Salaam on 8 August 1998, India provided medical assistance worth Rs 10 lakh and Rs 5 lakh respectively to Kenya and Tanzania. A consignment of books on economics, management, computers and public administration was presented to the Institute of Public Administration and Management in Sierra Leone in July 1998.

Evacuation/Repatriation Assistance provided to affected Indian community in Africa

On the humanitarian front, India was prompt in providing assistance to the affected Indian community residing in African countries. Following the outbreak of hostilities between Ethiopia and Eritrea in June 1998, 153 Indian nationals were evacuated from Asmara capital of Eritrea by chartering an aircraft in Djibouti and brought safely to India. During the political upheavals in Lesotho in September 1998, the Indian community crossed over the border into South Africa. They were provided all possible consular assistance by our mission in South Africa. Following demarches made by India, ten Indian soldiers serving in Angola with the MONUA (UN Observer Mission in Angola), held hostage by UNITA, were released on 6 December, 1998. Following the outbreak of armed revolt in Guinea Bissau in June 1998, 49 Indians nationals were evacuated and repatriated to India. Assistance was also rendered to the Indian nationals affected by the rebels’ attacks which took place in Sierra Leone in December 1998.

Multilateral

Prime Minister, Shri A B Vajpayee, led the Indian delegation to the NAM Summit in Durban in September 1998. Shri A B Vaipayee, Prime Minister addressed a Message to the OAU Summit (June 8-10, 1998) held at Ouagadougou, capital of Burkina Faso. It was handed over by Shri S T Devare, Secretary (ER) and was put on record as a document of the proceedings of the Summit. India also gifted seven heavy duty photocopiers to Burkina Faso for use during the Summit.

As part of the consultation preceding the NAM Summit at Durban, South Africa in September 1998, high level envoys visited several African capitals: Shri S T Devare, Secretary (ER) visited Dar-es-Salam, Harare, Lusaka and Shri A N Ram, Special Envoy visited Libreville, Lagos, Dakar, Freetown, Banjul and Accra.

Conclusion

Africa is in a phase of transition, leaving behind the legacies of the past, and moving towards a many-splendoured future embracing democracy, economic reform and a constructive emergence of regional identities. India, with its unique developmental experience, and as the world's largest democracy undergoing significant economic reform, has a vital role to play in underpinning and moulding such an African future. The people of Indian origin who have made Africa their home in almost every corner of the continent are a natural bridge in re-enforcing our future ties with Africa. However, India’s diplomatic vision extends beyond such natural ethnic affinities to embrace the interests of Africa as a whole, particularly in the priority area of economic progress and development. Such an economic congruence is facilitated by a broad agreement between India and the countries of Africa on their vision of a new world order characterised by peace, justice and equity, and fully responsive to the needs and interests of the developing world.