New Delhi:L External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar announced on Tuesday that India is eagerly anticipating the Fourth India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS IV). Speaking at the Africa Day celebrations, he emphasized the importance of close cooperation between India and Africa.

"India and Africa must engage and work closely together. We look forward to organizing the IAFS IV Summit and seek your support. We hope this event will present a modern agenda for cooperation," Jaishankar stated.

He highlighted Africa’s youthful population, abundant natural resources, expanding capabilities, growing markets, and rising ambitions. India, now the world's most populous country and the fifth largest economy, views Africa as a natural partner. "Our relationship, built on trust and mutual respect, focuses on value addition within Africa, promoting local production, research, and employment," he added.

Jaishankar also stressed the importance of people-to-people connections, noting that India has extended e-Visa facilities to 33 African countries and expanded its diplomatic presence with 16 new missions, totaling 45 Indian missions across the continent.

Regarding capacity-building efforts, he mentioned that many African leaders have studied in India under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) program. Over the past decade, nearly 40,000 Africans have received training in India through ITEC. Additionally, over 23,000 African students currently live and study in India. India has also established educational institutions in Africa, including the Indian Institute of Technology in Zanzibar, the National Forensic Science University in Uganda, and Entrepreneurship Development Centres in Rwanda.

In infrastructure development, India has completed 206 projects in 43 African countries, with 65 more underway, funded by Indian concessional loans totaling over $12.37 billion. Another 81 projects are in the planning stages, covering areas such as drinking water, irrigation, power plants, transmission lines, cement, sugar and textile plants, technology parks, and railway infrastructure.

On the economic front, India is Africa's fourth-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade amounting to about $100 billion and cumulative investments exceeding $75 billion. The African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA) offers opportunities for deeper economic integration. India is also the first developing country to provide non-reciprocal duty-free market access to Least Developed Countries (LDCs) through its Duty-Free Tariff Preference (DFTP) scheme, benefiting 33 African nations by granting duty-free access to 98.2% of India's total tariff lines.

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