Paper short abstract:

The paper would like to examine the morphology and anatomy of new Indian engagement with Africa and asses the stated and hyped objectives of India in Africa and covert bureaucratic interest, growing challenges emerging from its own policies as well as from the emergence of new actors like AFRICOM

Paper long abstract:

Morphology and Anatomy of Indo-African Relations in 21st Century: Issues and Challenges

by Prof. Ajay Dubey

For Indo-African Relations old rallying points like NAM, racial discrimination Collective Self Reliance yielded to make economic interest as prime mover, emergence of new actors in Africa like African Union and regional organizations, assertive role of African countries in multilateral institution and global governance agencies, emergence of Diaspora as a resource and opening up African primary resources like oil and markets to newly emerging economies. India responded to its emerging needs, newer opportunity and growing competitions in African continent. Its growing trade, economic investment and energy imports from Africa as wel as the new scramble by emerging powers for African resources - culminate in Indian state launching its India Africa Forum Summit in 2008 at new Delhi and organizing its second such Summit in Ethiopia in 2011. The Forum Summit was Indian state initiative to recast its Africa policy under the new settings and new the imperatives. The Forum Summits under Banzul formula of AU, which almost all important players in Africa outright rejected, was ostensibly to protect Indian goodwill in Africa by giving collective negotiating power to Africa, and to engage new actors like AU and regional organizations. It led to emergence of India state from aid recipient to aid giving status, (around 8 billion dollar of economic aid package for Africa at multilateral levels under two Forum Summits) and new role of Indian foreign policy bureaucracy from aid receiver to aid disburser.