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India-Africa Summit ends
From: Zee Adu-Asante, GNA Special
Correspondent, New Delhi
New Delhi, April 10, Ghanadot/GNA– The two-day first
India-Africa Summit ended in New Delhi, India, on Wednesday
with an adoption of a framework for cooperation and the
Delhi Declaration for stronger ties between the India and
Africa.
The two parties agreed to build on the traditional warm
relations that existed between them to become stronger
partners on the basis of equality, mutual respect and mutual
benefit.
The two parties called on the United Nations Security
Council to make important institutions of international
security governance more democratic, more responsive and
more representatives.
“We reaffirm our longstanding position that India and Africa
deserve permanent representation in the United Nations
Security Council and we are committed to support each other
to see to it that this objective is realized,” they said in
the Declaration.
Mr Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, Chairperson of the African Union
(AU), and the President of the United Republic of Tanzania,
in his closing remarks, said the major concern of the Summit
was food security and high oil prices which were disrupting
economies and making living conditions of the people more
expensive.
He said the heads of state at the Summit agreed that these
areas of concern should be addressed to mitigate the impact
of high oil and food prices on the economics of developing
countries.
Mr Kikwete said the two parties also decided on promoting
trade and investment and appreciated India’s efforts towards
enhancing Africa’s capacity in the fight against poverty and
HIV/AIDS.
Some of the key areas of cooperation included focusing and
forging more contemporary partnership like trade, industry
and investment, energy, agriculture, regional integration,
health, education, ICT, political cooperation, water and
sanitation.
Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas, ECOWAS Commission President, in an
interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said the Summit
had brought new dynamism between India and Africa and
expressed the hope that the framework for cooperation would
be implemented after the deliberations.
He said Africa needed help in railway infrastructure and
India could help the continent to improve and achieve this
objective.
Dr Chambas said because of the long standing bilateral
relations between India and Africa, the new fund of five
billion US dollars will help to build regional
infrastructure in each member country.
The Heads of State who attended the Summit included
President John Agyekum Kufuor of Ghana, South Africa’s Thabo
Mbeki, President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and President
Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania.
Others were Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Burkina
Faso’s Prime Minister Tertius Zongo, President Joseph Kabila
of Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopian Prime Minister
Meles Zenawi, Kenyan Prime Minister Mwai Kibaki, Senegalese
President Abdoulaye Wade, Nigerian Vice-President Goodluck
Jonathan and Zambian Vice President Rupiah Banda.
International Cooperation Minister, Fayza Abou El Naga
represented Egypt, Ali Abdul Salam Altreki, Libya’s AU
Minister headed Libya’s delegation and AU Commission
President Alpha Konare represented the Union.
Many experts considered the India-Africa Summit as a
diplomatic exercise by India to counter the increasing
economic clout of China in the oil-rich African countries.
However, Indian officials maintained that India was not in
competition with any other country as its relationship with
Africa was based on mutual respect and empowerment through
trade, technology and human resource development.
GNA
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