Deepak Dwivedi
INDIA’S relations with Africa are historical and deep-rooted. Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to elevate it to a new level. After the African Union was included in G20 under India’s presidency, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan held wide-ranging talks with PM Modi in New Delhi and the two decided to upgrade bilateral ties to strategic partnership, and worked out a fiveyear roadmap for it. Apart from deepening traditional economic and cultural ties, the two countries also agreed on a pact on mutual defence cooperation. Tanzania joined the Global Biofuels Alliance launched by India at the G20 Summit as well as the International Big Cat Alliance to strengthen global efforts for the conservation of big cats.
Tanzania, being strategically located in the Western Indian Ocean with vast energy and economic potential, holds immense importance for India as a key partner in Africa. In its third term, the Modi Government has pushed the pedal to make inroads into Africa with the objective of doubling trade with the subcontinent, with special focus on Tanzania. India-Tanzania trade increased to $7.9 billion in 2023-24, posting a 22 per cent growth over the previous year. India’s exports were valued at $4.6 billion during the fiscal, while imports were at $3.3 billion.
India’s efforts are in line with its abiding support for a greater role for Africa in global platforms. PM Modi has repeatedly said that Africa is “at the top of India’s priorities”. India is currently Africa’s third largest trade partner next to European Union and China. India is the tenth-largest investor in Africa in terms of FDI stock. India’s development cooperation has also expanded rapidly since the early 2000s, and African countries have been major beneficiaries of India’s lines of credit programme. India now wants to scale up its efforts to make key African countries India’s strategic partners in the backdrop of changing global scenario.
The recent revitalisation and reinforcement of India’s engagement with Tanzania is a result of China’s deteriorating global image as an equal partner of choice offering so-called win-win cooperation in many parts of the world. China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Tanzania has contributed to economic and environmental vulnerabilities in the East African nation; that, in turn, has created space for New Delhi to expand and consolidate its bilateral engagement with Dar es Salaam. Through strategic leveraging of shared strengths and mutual interests, India and Tanzania can forge an enduring partnership that promotes economic growth, regional integration, and people-centric development, while contributing to the shared vision of Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) and the African Union’s vision for peace and security in Africa
