Updating foreign policy with times, India changing gears in relations with Africa

It is abundantly clear that India has shifted gears of its engagement with Africa in a more concerted manner if one were to go by her recent activities across the spectrum of cooperation in accordance with the wishes of the respective countries . India announced a grant of US$15 mn to Niger to enable it to host the next African union Summit (AU) currently underway in Niamey . Some critics argued that the funds could have been more productively utilized in infra development etc. But all that is already being done. Supporting AU Summit and interactions after her own India- Africa Forum Summits ( last being in 2015) is a natural corollary and attests to the fact that India engages with its natural partner Africa both in bilateral, regional and multilateral context. AU and its constituent 55 countries are the collective voice of the continent and India wishes to engage with them given her umbilical and historical non-reciprocal relationship.

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