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George Chisoko inNEW DELHI, India
AFRICA and India should focus on productivity and innovation to develop ventures that match the needs of a dynamic and globalised economy, Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi said yesterday.
The minister said Africa and India need to combine their efforts in that regard as this would put them on the path to fair and balanced growth. He said that kind of South-South co-operation presented the key to unlocking the potential for mutual growth and development.
Addressing the ministers’ meeting of the 3rd India-Africa Forum Summit yesterday, Minister Mumbengegwi said India had been Africa’s reliable developmental partner that has remained steadfast in its support to the continent.
“The sustainability and effectiveness of our political, cultural and socio-economic growth can only be achieved through the strengthening of our co-operation. Today we will consider and recommend two important documents for adoption by our Heads of State and Government, namely the Political Declaration and the Africa-India Framework for Strategic Co-operation.
“These documents set our priorities, goals, hopes and aspirations as we take the deep-rooted co-operation between Africa and India to new heights in the coming years,” said the minister.
In crafting the framework of co-operation, consideration was taken into the existence of variations in the developmental needs of Africa and India.
“In recognition of this diversity, the government of India has generously provided billions of dollars worth of lines of credit to the African continent towards restructuring and rehabilitation of vital sectors, such as energy, agriculture, industrial development, SMEs, peace and security, health, science and technology, sports, arts and culture and regional integration.”
Minister Mumbengegwi underscored the important role India’s micro, small and medium enterprises had played towards the realisation of the development agenda.
Given that more than 70 percent of employment is generated through the sector in many countries, including Zimbabwe, it was imperative that the forum committed itself to putting in place measures that would boost the support base for the MSME’s sector.
“India, as a well-known success story in harnessing the MSME’s sector, is the ideal partner for Africa in this regard,” the minister said.
He was confident that the meeting would not only analyse and anticipate short- and long-term needs of the development agenda but would also establish an evaluation and follow-up mechan- ism.
In her address, Indian External Affairs Minister Ms Sushma Swaraj said her country’s Diasporan population of three million in Africa formed an important link between Africa and India to the extent that India was committed to a people-centric approach that focused on capacity building, human resources development and technical and financial support for mutually agreed priorities.
“In the past seven years, a total of 40 000 scholarships have been provided by India to Africa and we have utilised the vehicle of lines of credit to foster economic and infrastructural development in Africa. In the last decade a total of $9 billion in concessionary credit has been approved for nearly 140 projects,” said Ms Swaraj.
The growing investment by Indian firms in Africa has brought in capital and technology and assisted in value addition and industrialisation. It has also led to diversification of economic activity and, most importantly, generated employment and skills development.
Online Reporter
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