Windhoek
Indian High Commissioner to Namibia Kumar Tahin says India and Africa continue to bask in a strong partnership, drawing strength from a shared history of anti-colonialism and the mutual challenges of poverty, illiteracy, disease and climate change.
At the recent India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS), hosted by New Delhi in India and attended by President Hage Geingob and 53 other African leaders, observers proclaimed that India was positioning itself as a reliable investment partner for Africa’s gold mine economies, using a win-win economic model that will give Africans a sense of ownership in consideration of Africa’s long-term interests, unlike other models that were detrimental to Africa’s wellbeing and often ignored local sentiment.
Giving an insight on the significance of India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) that ended on a successful note in New Delhi, Kumar said, “We traverse the same developmental path and it is, therefore, self-evident that India and Africa continue to strengthen their interaction and cooperation.”
“In the past, the peoples of India and Africa have fought against colonialism and discrimination. Now they are joined in their struggle against challenges of poverty, illiteracy, disease and climate change,” the Indian high commissioner noted.
Last week’s IAFS Summit was the largest ever since the event debuted in April 2008. Tahin complimented the 2015 IAFS summit saying, it “provided an opportunity at the highest political level to review and reflect on the past, as well as chart out the future path of cooperation between India and Africa, and give a new thrust to this age old partnership,” and said it was an “extremely important event.”
While India’s relations with the African continent are ancient, in terms of a structured engagement between India and Africa the first Forum Summit was held in 2008 and the second one in 2011, but last week’s summit was historic, considering the fact it was one of the largest gatherings of world leaders in India.
Regarding the primary objectives of last week’s IAFS, the Indian high commissioner was candid and said: “India and Africa together form 2.3 billion people, one-third of the world’s population. Some of the world’s fastest growing economies are today on the African continent. Also, both India and Africa have a demographically very young population. Both India and Africa can therefore do a lot together, for their peoples, and for the world. “
The focal point of the 2015 IAFS – as with previous summits – has been to build on previous engagements and to identify new areas of cooperation at three levels, namely: bilateral, regional and pan-African, with the concentration being on trade, training and technology, the Indian high commissioner further explained.
Looking back on the diplomatic relationship between Namibia and India, Tahin asserted that the countries’ relations are marked by mutual trust and respect.
“India-Namibia relations are marked by mutual trust and mutual respect. All facets of bilateral relations, such as political, trade, cultural, people-to-people ties, etc., have witnessed a steady and consistent growth, further strengthening the warmth and cordiality between the two countries, and blossoming of the relationship into a multi-dimensional partnership.
“Development assistance extended by India to Namibia, including in the area of capacity building, further cements the bonds of friendship between the two nations,” he told New Era.