Speaking during the Africa Day 2025 celebrations in New Delhi, India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar emphasized the importance and depth of India-African ties, calling their bond, connection, and empathy “truly special.”
He reiterated India’s steadfast dedication to aiding Africa’s development, stressing that the continent’s independence would not be complete until Africa achieved its own. This sentiment now encompasses common goals for growth, wealth, and advancement.
Jaishankar emphasized that India’s worries about food, health, and energy security go beyond national interests and show a sincere desire to work with other countries to address the problems Africa faces.
Reflecting on the COVID-19 pandemic, Jaishankar pointed out that it had a particularly negative effect on Africa, since travel restrictions and finance decisions exacerbated vaccine apartheid and made the continent’s problems worse. He drew attention to Africa’s sluggish progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and urged India and Africa to reaffirm their cooperation in order to overcome these obstacles together.
Speaking about the idea of the Global South, Jaishankar said that Africa and India are important parts of this grouping and that people who doubt its applicability don’t really get it.
Citing Africa’s continuous political, social, and economic changes, he voiced optimism in the region’s rise to prominence as the continent of the future. Jaishankar reaffirmed India’s support for Africa’s legitimate place on international platforms, including the reform of the UN Security Council in accordance with the Declaration and the Ezulwini Consensus, and recalled India’s crucial role in securing the African Union’s full membership in the G20 during India’s presidency.
Open markets, digital revolution experiences, better public service delivery, education, digital literacy, agricultural strengthening, and preserving open and free oceans for all countries are just a few of the many ways that India is dedicated to Africa’s growth.
Jaishankar emphasized that India now has 46 diplomatic missions in Africa, including 17 new ones that have opened in recent years. He emphasized that development cooperation and capacity-building are at the heart of India’s strategy, which is based on the idea that “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” (The World is a Family).
In the past ten years, more than 37,000 Africans have received training in India through the ITEC/ICCR scholarships. Organizations such as the Entrepreneurship Development Centre in Rwanda, the National Forensic Science University in Uganda, and the Indian Institute of Technology in Zanzibar are prime examples of India’s dedication to improving education in Africa.
A safe and sustainable future for Africa is the goal of Africa’s Development Framework Agenda 2063, which Jaishankar reaffirmed India’s support for. In contrast to extractive methods of involvement, he described India’s strategy as demand-driven and inclusive, with an emphasis on establishing self-sustaining economic ecosystems and enhancing local capability.
More than 13,000 patients in 21 African countries have benefited from India’s more than USD 700 million in grant aid, which includes cancer treatment devices, medical equipment, medications, ambulances, inexpensive artificial limbs (also known as “Jaipur Foot”), and food grains. India’s unwavering dedication to Africa’s connectivity and self-sustaining development is further evidenced by the 200 projects it has developed in the areas of water supply, agriculture, power generation, and railroads.
In his speech, Jaishankar emphasized the long-standing alliance between Africa and India, which is based on a common history, shared development objectives, and a vision for an inclusive and just global order.
Both regions are positioned as important partners in creating a brighter future for the Global South thanks to India’s approach, which stands out for its emphasis on capacity-building, equitable development, and a rejection of exploitative practices.
