India to work closely with Africa towards developmental goals
Thursday, 25 September 2008
UNITED NATIONS, Sept 24 (PTI) India has renewed its commitment to work closely with Africa to meet the diverse challenges faced by the continent and to enable it to achieve its development targets.
Addressing the high level meeting on Africa's development here yesterday, Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma stressed on the close economic ties that India enjoys with African nations.
India, he said, has a long-standing, close and multi- layered relationship with Africa based on "our abiding commitment" to work with the continent to fulfill its aspirations.
The partnership, he stressed, encompasses priority sectors integral to the developmental goals of Africa in the 21st century. "A vibrant India and a resurgent Africa are witnessing an intensification of relations and growing convergence of interests in their common quest for sustainable economic growth and development," he added.
Sharma said India has always been committed to elevate its special engagement with Africa into an enduring partnership by developing an institutional mechanism for India-Africa dialogue.
In this context, he said, the first-ever India Africa Partnership Forum Summit held in New Delhi in April was convened in partnership with the African Union.
The Delhi Declaration and the Africa-India Framework for Cooperation adopted at the Summit, he said, "highlight our shared political vision and world view and provide a solid foundation for a systematic and stepped-up engagement in the years to come."
India, Sharma said, has made a unilateral announcement of duty free and quota free market access to goods from 34 least developed countries in Africa. "This will spur economic activity in manufacturing . by allowing them enhanced market access to one of the fastest-growing economies in the world."
Besides, at the India Africa Partnership Forum Summit, India and Africa also decided to work together on pressing global issues of shared interests and concerns, including W.T.O. issues, terrorism, eradication of hunger and poverty and promotion of democracy, he added.
India's Focus Africa policy, launched in 2002, targeted seven countries and has yielded visible results, he added.
"Our bilateral trade with Africa has grown manifold and reached a level of USD 31 billion in 2006-07 up from USD 3 billion in 2000-01 and is expected to reach a level of USD 35 billion in the current year," he added.
Addressing the high level meeting on Africa's development here yesterday, Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma stressed on the close economic ties that India enjoys with African nations.
India, he said, has a long-standing, close and multi- layered relationship with Africa based on "our abiding commitment" to work with the continent to fulfill its aspirations.
The partnership, he stressed, encompasses priority sectors integral to the developmental goals of Africa in the 21st century. "A vibrant India and a resurgent Africa are witnessing an intensification of relations and growing convergence of interests in their common quest for sustainable economic growth and development," he added.
Sharma said India has always been committed to elevate its special engagement with Africa into an enduring partnership by developing an institutional mechanism for India-Africa dialogue.
In this context, he said, the first-ever India Africa Partnership Forum Summit held in New Delhi in April was convened in partnership with the African Union.
The Delhi Declaration and the Africa-India Framework for Cooperation adopted at the Summit, he said, "highlight our shared political vision and world view and provide a solid foundation for a systematic and stepped-up engagement in the years to come."
India, Sharma said, has made a unilateral announcement of duty free and quota free market access to goods from 34 least developed countries in Africa. "This will spur economic activity in manufacturing . by allowing them enhanced market access to one of the fastest-growing economies in the world."
Besides, at the India Africa Partnership Forum Summit, India and Africa also decided to work together on pressing global issues of shared interests and concerns, including W.T.O. issues, terrorism, eradication of hunger and poverty and promotion of democracy, he added.
India's Focus Africa policy, launched in 2002, targeted seven countries and has yielded visible results, he added.
"Our bilateral trade with Africa has grown manifold and reached a level of USD 31 billion in 2006-07 up from USD 3 billion in 2000-01 and is expected to reach a level of USD 35 billion in the current year," he added.