Context
The fourth India–Africa Forum Summit (IAFS-IV), scheduled from May 28–31, represents a significant opportunity for India to reassess and strengthen its engagement with Africa in response to rapidly changing geopolitical and economic conditions.
Originally planned for 2020, the summit was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the broader disruptions in global diplomacy that followed.
During this period, Africa’s external partnerships have expanded considerably, with major global powers such as the European Union (EU), China, Japan, France, Germany, and South Korea intensifying their diplomatic and strategic outreach across the continent.
In this changing environment, India must convert its longstanding goodwill with African nations into a more institutionalised, continuous, and strategic partnership framework.
Changing Geopolitical Landscape in Africa
Intensifying Global Competition
Africa has increasingly become a major centre of geopolitical competition and strategic engagement among global powers.
Recent Developments
- The EU and Japan organised high-level summits with African countries in 2025.
- South Korea conducted ministerial-level consultations with African partners.
- Germany hosted discussions focused on the Sudan crisis.
- France has been pursuing a renewed strategy for engagement with Africa.
- China continues its long-standing and sustained outreach through the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).
This increasingly crowded diplomatic environment creates a challenge for India to maintain both its visibility and strategic relevance in Africa.
India’s Traditional Strengths in Africa
Historical Goodwill
India enjoys considerable goodwill across Africa because of:
- Shared colonial experiences and anti-imperial struggles.
- Cooperation under the South-South cooperation framework.
- Capacity-building and developmental assistance initiatives.
Development Partnership
African countries often perceive India as:
- A provider of affordable and accessible developmental solutions.
- A non-hegemonic and non-prescriptive partner.
- Flexible, adaptable, and development-oriented.
- Respectful of African sovereignty and national priorities.
However, in the current competitive geopolitical environment, historical goodwill alone is no longer sufficient.
Need for Institutionalised Engagement
Limitations of the Existing Summit Model
The existing five-year summit cycle continues to be useful for leadership-level interaction, but the absence of effective inter-summit institutional mechanisms has weakened continuity in engagement.
Consequences
- India–Africa engagement often becomes episodic in nature.
- Partnerships tend to default largely to bilateral interactions.
- Cooperation with pan-African institutions remains limited.
- Several summit commitments suffer from weak implementation and inadequate follow-up.
Reviving the Three-Tier Africa Framework
India’s Earlier Framework of Engagement
India’s earlier engagement framework with Africa was based on:
- Bilateral engagement.
- Regional-level cooperation.
- Pan-African institutional engagement.
Although implementation challenges reduced the framework’s effectiveness over time, it still remains strategically relevant.
Suggested Measures
Enhanced Political Engagement
- Annual invitations should be extended to the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC).
- State visits should be organised for the annually rotating Chair of the African Union (AU).
- Greater diplomatic inclusion should be ensured for geographically underrepresented African countries.
Importance of Burundi’s Role
With Burundi currently serving as the AU Chair and also co-chairing IAFS-IV, such engagement assumes even greater strategic importance.
Importance of AU and Regional Economic Communities (RECs)
Strategic Role of the African Union Commission (AUC)
The AUC plays a critical role in shaping Africa’s collective positions on:
- Climate change.
- Energy transition.
- Digital governance.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI).
- Global South cooperation.
Sharing Developmental Experiences
Engagement with the AUC would enable India to share its developmental experiences in:
- Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI).
- Financial inclusion.
- Public health systems.
- Capacity building.
- E-governance.
Re-engaging Regional Economic Communities (RECs)
Africa’s RECs function as important pillars of continental integration and economic coordination.
Suggested Initiative
An annual Track 1.5 India–Africa Strategic Dialogue should be established involving:
- Policymakers.
- AUC leadership.
- Permanent Representatives’ Committee (PRC).
- Academic experts.
- Industry representatives.
Such a mechanism can ensure sustained policy continuity beyond periodic summit diplomacy.
Persistent Challenges in India–Africa Engagement
Gap Between Commitments and Delivery
Many announcements made under IAFS have experienced:
- Slow implementation.
- Weak monitoring mechanisms.
- Limited institutional follow-up.
Episodic Nature of Engagement
In the absence of regular engagement mechanisms, India risks being perceived as:
- A reactive partner.
- An occasional diplomatic actor rather than a long-term strategic stakeholder.
Weak Institutionalisation of Cooperation
Several promising sectors of cooperation remain inadequately developed, including:
- Renewable energy.
- Agriculture.
- Climate finance.
- Digital economy.
- Counterterrorism cooperation.
Growing Chinese Influence
China’s highly institutionalised and financially intensive engagement through FOCAC creates increasing competitive pressure for India.
Way Forward
Shift Towards Process-Driven Diplomacy
IAFS-IV should evolve from symbolic summit diplomacy into a framework of sustained strategic engagement.
Key Institutional Mechanisms
- Establish regular mid-cycle review meetings.
- Create monitoring frameworks for implementation of summit commitments.
- Strengthen consultations with African diplomats in New Delhi and Addis Ababa.
Deepening Development Cooperation
India should focus on sectors where it possesses comparative advantages, such as:
- Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI).
- FinTech and UPI-based payment systems.
- Affordable healthcare.
- Pharmaceuticals.
- Skill development.
- Renewable energy.
Aligning with African Priorities
The principle articulated by the Indian Prime Minister in Uganda in 2018 — “African priorities should guide India’s engagement with Africa” — should remain central to future cooperation.
This approach would strengthen:
- Mutual trust.
- Demand-driven development cooperation.
- Respect for African agency and sovereignty.
Strengthening Multilateral Coordination
India and African countries should deepen coordination on:
- Global South platforms.
- Climate negotiations.
- WTO reforms.
- UNSC reforms.
- Digital governance norms.
Conclusion
IAFS-IV comes at a highly significant moment in global geopolitics and South-South cooperation.
Africa is no longer a peripheral strategic region but has emerged as a central arena in the evolving multipolar world order.
For India, the challenge is not simply to preserve historical goodwill, but to transform it into sustained institutional partnerships backed by credible implementation and long-term strategic engagement.
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