admin
Ambassador Wutaunashe was speaking in an interview on the sidelines of the summit being held at the Taj Mahal Palace which opened with a record 630 registered delegates from at least 41 African countries.
“The conclave is an occasion for match making and we expect further bilateral co-operation across various sectors and new areas of co-operation,” Ambassador Wutaunashe said.
He said a delegation from Zimbabwe led by Industry and Commerce Minister Professor Welshman Ncube was expected to participate in the summit.
“A ministerial delegation is set to arrive here and take part and we expect the signing of some Memorandum of Agreement in areas of possible co-operation with Indian investors,” he said.
He said the Zimbabwean Embassy in New Delhi was instrumental in the establishment of the conclave, which was started 10 years ago.
Ambassador Wutaunashe noted that Vice President Joice Mujuru attended the summit last year and invited investors to invest into various sectors in the country such as the diamond and manufacturing industry.
Co-hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Exim Bank of India, the three-day conclave is expected to discuss a raft of issues including 475 projects worth US$64 billion, mainly in infrastructure and capacity building, the organisers said.
This year, Cameroon is the guest country and Ethiopia the focus country.
Nearly 40 lawmakers, besides a host of industry leaders and officials from 41 African countries, are taking part in the meeting described by a top foreign ministry official as “the contemporary connotation to an old relationship”.
“This highly successful India- Africa business forum, that would not have been possible without private sector participation, will take the bilateral engagement to a new level,” said joint secretary in India’s External Affairs Ministry, Mr Radhika Lokesh,.
Together, India and Africa account for a population of 2,2 billion people with a combined gross domestic product of nearly US$3 trillion.
India is Africa’s fourth-largest trading partner and a significant investor across the continent
Bilateral trade between the two sides has grown from US$4.6 billion in 2000 when these summits began, to US$60 billion in 2011-12. This year’s summit is targeting to top US$90 billion by 2015.
Among the various issues to be discussed are those on catalysing larger South-South co-operation, for sustainable power, achieving food sufficiency, building capacity and infrastructure and encouraging Indian private investment in African manufacturing, agriculture, mining, education, health, skills building and infrastructure.
The summit will also explore how Africa can achieve food sufficiency and make it a global food basket, have effective and affordable healthcare and housing, water, infrastructure and power among other issues.
Online Reporter