After a gap of over a decade, India formally announced the country is set to host the fourth edition of the India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) in the capital city next month. It characterised the central message of the country’s relationship with the continent as one of ‘stability in a turbulent world”.
“Our partnership seeks not just economic growth but meaningful transformation. It is about empowering people, strengthening institutions, and creating opportunities. As the world navigates through complex geopolitical and geo-economic challenges, our partnership assumes particular significance.
“It will be a message of stability in a turbulent world, of reliability in an uncertain one and of solidarity in difficult times. Together, India and Africa are not just partners in development, we are partners in shaping a better world.”, India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said this in his address at an event where the logo, theme, and website for the May 28-31 summit were unveiled.
Amid the presence of heads of African Missions in India, the Minister said the upcoming summit presents a unique opportunity to further deepen the bilateral relationship, and the May event will take the trajectory of the ties higher. The next phase, the Minister said, was more ambitious, more inclusive, future-oriented, and the one that would allow both India and the African countries to exchange best practices, share experiences that were successful, and discuss challenges faced in common.
Being organised under the theme ‘IA-SPIRIT”, the acronym translates as India Africa Strategic Partnership for Innovation, Resilience and Inclusive Transformation. ‘SPIRIT’ captures the essence of a relationship that goes beyond transactions and is marked by shared values, mutual respect, solidarity, and collaboration, Dr Jaishankar informed the select gathering here.
Sharing the contours of the logo, the summit features the lion, which is native to both India and Africa and one that symbolises pride, courage, and shared identity. It brings together the maps of the two regions, once united in a single landmass.
Carrying forward this vision, the summit features the lion—uniquely native to both India and Africa—symbolising pride, courage, and a shared identity. It brings together the maps of our two regions, once united in a single landmass.
The minister gave an overview of the deepening of engagement with Africa across various sectors, building upon the ties and shared history of struggle, solidarity, resilience, and aspirations. Guided by the broad principles of India’s engagement with Africa articulated by Prime Minister Modi in the Ugandan Parliament in 2018, the minister stated the engagement has grown across all key pillars, with numerous high-level political interactions, including over a score of visits to African countries, himself.
Demonstration of India’s long-term commitment translated into expansion of its diplomatic presence, opening 17 new missions across Africa taking the number to 46 missions. Cooperation today extends in areas like climate action, renewable energy, resilient infrastructure, environmental conservation, and a more sustainable future for Africa. African nations are key partners in Indian-led global initiatives such as the International Solar Alliance, the Global Biofuels Alliance, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure and the International Big Cat Alliance.
“A defining feature of India-Africa relations is our shared vision for more inclusive and representative global order. India has consistently supported Africa’s rightful place in global governance. A seminal step in that direction was the inclusion of the African Union’s permanent membership in the G20 during India’s presidency in 2023. This reflects our firm belief that the voices of the Global South must shape global governance in times to come,” the minister said.
Meanwhile, in an interview with a news agency, the High Commissioner of South Africa, Prof. Anil Sooklal, said the summit will chart a new course of cooperation. Speaking to IANS, he said both sides will hold discussions in areas that are critical and also focus on global governance and undertaking reforms in multilateral systems such as the United Nations, UN Security Council, World Trade Organisation, and Bretton Woods institutions. Noting that the African continent was growing at a swifter rate, Prof. Sooklal underscored there were common challenges and common aspirations in terms of what the countries in Africa and India visualise for their people.
The third summit was held over a decade ago in New Delhi in October 2015, and the current event will offer an opportunity to evaluate the progress on the commitments.
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- India will host the 4th India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) in New Delhi from May 28-31, marking the first summit in over a decade, with a focus on "stability in a turbulent world."
- The summit theme ‘IA-SPIRIT’ stands for India Africa Strategic Partnership for Innovation, Resilience, and Inclusive Transformation, emphasizing shared values and collaboration beyond economic growth.
- India has expanded its diplomatic presence in Africa, now with 46 missions, and cooperation spans climate action, renewable energy, infrastructure, and global initiatives like the International Solar Alliance.
- The summit will promote deeper bilateral ties, best practice exchanges, and address global governance reforms, including support for Africa’s permanent membership in the G20.
- South Africa’s High Commissioner highlighted the summit’s role in advancing cooperation on critical issues and reforming multilateral institutions such as the UN, WTO, and Bretton Woods bodies.
After a gap of over a decade,
“Our partnership seeks not just economic growth but meaningful transformation. It is about empowering people, strengthening institutions, and creating opportunities. As the world navigates through complex geopolitical and geo-economic challenges, our partnership assumes particular significance.
"It will be a message of stability in a turbulent world, of reliability in an uncertain one and of solidarity in difficult times.
Amid the presence of heads of African Missions in
Demonstration of
“A defining feature of
Meanwhile, in an interview with a news agency, the High Commissioner of
Visit SW YouTube Channel for our video content
