Top leaders of African countries are expected to attend the India-Africa Forum summit scheduled for this month, which will see New Delhi unveil a roadmap to strengthen its relations with the continent, especially in trade, defence, space technology and critical minerals.
The summit, the fourth of its kind, will be held in New Delhi on May 31. India has increased its diplomatic footprint in Africa by opening 17 new missions since 2018, bringing the total number to 46. New Delhi has also sought to enhance trade and communication with Africa in the face of the growing Chinese presence on the continent.
The India-Africa Forum summit will focus on enhancing cooperation in the areas of economy, trade, defence, security, critical minerals, energy, space, high technology, agriculture, health, education and climate action, officials said on Saturday.
“We look forward to significantly strengthening our economic partnership,” an official said. The officials said that the Indian side is keen to transform the relationship with African countries into a forward-looking partnership with a strong development framework.
The declaration to be adopted at the conclusion of the summit will define a cooperation agenda that will seek to align India’s vision of becoming a developed country by 2047 with Africa’s Agenda 2063.
As in other regions of the world, India’s development assistance programs to Africa are guided by local priorities and project ownership. India has provided more than 190 lines of credit worth more than $10 billion to 41 African countries so far. India is also among the top five investors in Africa and the fourth largest trading partner.
These lines of credit have been used for projects in sectors such as energy, water supply, agriculture, transportation, rural electrification and digital connectivity. A total of 220 projects worth $4.5 billion have been completed, officials said.
The value of trade between India and Africa reached $81.99 billion during the period 2024-2025, with Indian exports amounting to $42.6 billion and imports amounting to $39.2 billion. Major Indian exports included petroleum products and medicines.
The value of India’s cumulative investments in Africa between 1996 and 2025 amounted to about $80 billion, according to official figures. A total of 33 African countries have benefited from India’s Duty Free Tariff Preference Program (DFTP), which provides duty-free access to 98.2% of India’s tariff lines for least developed countries, officials said.
The India-Africa Forum summit is being held after a break of more than 10 years, and New Delhi hosted the third summit in October 2015.
