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India’s G-20 opportunity for an African Renaissance

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India’s G-20 opportunity for an African Renaissance 

 

 

Why in the News?

South Africa is raising its demands on multilateral fora such as BRICS, G-20 and the UNGA in recent times, acting as an atypical representative of the Black continent with 54 countries- over a quarter of population of the “Global South”.

Challenges and disruptors of the African continent:

    1. Existential crisis in Africa in general and the Sahel region in particular due to issues of
      • Misgovernance
      • Unplanned development
      • Dominance of ruling tribes and corruption.
    2. Strain in the traditional socio-political fabric of the nations due to new disruptors like,
      • Islamic terror
      • Inter-tribal scrimmage
      • Changing climate
      • Runaway food inflation
      • Urbanisation
      • Youth unemployment
    3. Military interventions by other countries to curb militancy in the region has turned out to be counter-productive:
      • Keeping dictatorships in power to protect their economic interests, such as uranium in Niger, gold in the Central African Republic and oil in Libya.
      • Undermining the rights of individuals.
      • Resource-wastage in curbing civil wars leading to food insecurity.
    4. The African political elite are increasing showing less interest for de-legitimisation and containment of coup in African countries.
      • For instance, when the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) recently threatened to act militarily against Niger’s junta, two member-States, Mali and Burkina Faso- both run by military governments opposed the idea.
      • Similarly, the warring generals of Sudan have defied calls for a ceasefire.
    5. Eroding international support
      • Africa’s slowing economy and trade has reduced China, Africa’s largest trading partner and investor to have reduced appetite for Africa’s commodities.
      • Russia which hosted an African summit in July witnessed only a tepid participation.
      • Europe’s main concern is limited only to stopping illegal migration from African shores.
      • France, the UK and other colonial powers as well as the US have continued to exploit mineral wealth in Africa, but their economic downturn has limited their outreach. 

India’s Robust ties:

  1. India-Africa trade reached $98 billion in 2022-23 in spite of less oil imports and fewer agricultural products exports.
  2. India is the fifth largest investor in Africa with robust investments and other socio-economic engagements in sectors such as education, health care, telecom, IT, appropriate technology and agriculture.
  3. India has extended over $12.37 billion in concessional loans, completed 197 projects and has provided 42,000 scholarships since 2015.
  4. Nearly 3 million people of Indian origin live in Africa, forming Africa’s largest non-native ethnicity.
  5. With India acting as the host of G20 Summit, it can leverage the opportunity to,
    1. Resolve the stalemated security and socio-economic situations in several parts of Africa.
    2. Combine peacekeeping with socio-political institution building to deliver political stability and economic development in the region.
    3. Targeted investments in the region that has potential of a force multiplier.
    4. Transfer relevant and appropriate Indian innovations to the African land, such as the
      1. JAM trinity (Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile)
      2. DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer)
      3. UPI (Unified Payments Interface)
      4. Aspirational Districts Programme.

By offering a more participative and less exploitative alternative, India’s G20 presence offers an exemplary win-win paradigm for India-Africa ecosystem in the 21st century.

MCQ:

How many among the following countries are under the Military coup in Africa currently?

  1. Burkina Faso
  2. Niger
  3. Sudan
  4. Gambia
  5. Mali
  6. Guinea

Select the correct answer from the given options:

      1. Only 2
      2. Only 4
      3. Only 5
      4. All six

Ans: c)

Explanation:

All countries (Burkina Faso, Niger, Sudan, Mali and Guinea), except Gambia where the attempt of coup failed in 2022, are under the military rule. Hence, option c) is the correct answer.

The following African countries are currently under military rule:

  • Burkina Faso (since January 2022)
  • Chad (since April 2021)
  • Guinea (since September 2021)
  • Mali (since August 2020)
  • Niger (since July 2023)
  • Sudan (since October 2021)

 

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