After months of preparations and just days to go for the fourth India Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) in New Delhi, scheduled for May 28-31, Ebola has come to destroy everything.
On May 15, just as delegations across Africa were preparing to fly to New Delhi, the Democratic Republic of Congo announced the outbreak of Ebola after cases were found in Ituri Province of the country. Health authorities say the outbreak involved the Bundibugyo strain, a type of Ebola for which there is currently no approved vaccine. As at May 19, 134 deaths were reported with 536 suspected cases, 105 probable cases, and 34 confirmed cases. Following this, authorities in neighbouring Uganda placed the country on high alert after four deaths from Ebola were reported
Against this background, the government of India and the African Union in a joint statement on May 21, said it would be advisable to convene the Summit at a later date.
This is indeed unfortunate, because India has become one country that has remained faithful to Africa, and not joined the global geopolitical fight for influence across the continent for selfish purposes. For this reason, expectations have been high that some positive results were to come out of the Summit.
It must be noted that, India’s engagement with African countries seems to be in line with the Yoruba proverb, “Àjọjẹ ò dùn bí ẹnìkan ò bá ní; ọjọ́ a ní la ńṣe àjọjẹ,” which literally means, sharing a meal is not pleasant when one party consistently lacks; we are usually happy to share, when all can give.
The proverb teaches that true, healthy sharing is reciprocal. It is painful and unsustainable when one person is the only giver and the other is always lacking or expecting. Genuine community spirit thrives best when everyone has something to contribute, turning a burden into a joyous exchange. This is exactly what India has proved with all her engagement with African countries; trying to pull them out of economic doldrums, so that they do not continue to depend on help.
In fact, some analysts said the Summit was not going to be just another gathering of leaders to be displayed on stage, but one of friends trying to help solve each others’ problems. This is the second time that the Summit has been forced to be rescheduled. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused the IAFS to be rescheduled.
Though not much talked about, India has for some time now used the IAFS as an apex institutional mechanism for her engagement with Africa. Established in 2008, the Summit covers the entire gamut of inter-State partnerships in political, security, economic, trade, developmental partnership, cultural and people-to-people relationships.
Since its establishment, the summit has been held three times: IAFS-I in 2008 (New Delhi), IAFS-II in 2011 (Addis Ababa), and IAFS-III in 2015 (New Delhi). IAFS-IV which was to be held in May 2026 in New Delhi has now been put on hold. This year’s summit was billed to include the India–Africa Business Dialogue & Exhibition, which was to help translate the India-Africa partnership’s political vision into actionable economic collaboration by promoting trade, investment, technology transfer, and industrial cooperation.
The Business Dialogue would have focussed on building sustainable economic partnerships, strengthening value chains, and unlocking investment opportunities across priority sectors such as infrastructure, energy, manufacturing, digital technologies, agriculture, healthcare, and services, including emerging areas like green energy, fintech, and critical minerals.
The plenary sessions, sectoral discussions, Business to Business (B2B) and Business to Government (B2G) meetings, and others would have been used by the Summit to showcase business opportunities across African markets, foster Micro Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSME) and startup collaboration.
Experts point to the fact that economic relationships between India and Africa have expanded significantly, with bilateral trade totalling almost $100 billion in 2024–25, across key sectors such as energy, infrastructure, agriculture, and technology.
Against the background of the growing economic collaboration between India and Africa, the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group has partnered with India to step up cooperation across digital infrastructure, industrial development, and finance.
According to the AfDB, the partnership with India aligns with their strategic priorities under its ‘Four Cardinal Points,’ particularly efforts to expand access to capital, strengthen financial and digital systems, and accelerate industrialisation across the continent.
India joined the African Development Bank Group in 1983, and has contributed to all general capital increases, strengthening the institution’s capacity to scale up lending for infrastructure, development projects, and economic recovery in its regional member countries.
This has improved collaboration with African countries and reflects shared experience in developing scalable, cost-effective solutions for large and diverse populations. The Bank views this approach to South-South cooperation as aligning with its focus on systems that are locally grounded, adaptable across countries and contexts.
There is evidence to prove India’s cooperation with Africa. Between 2020 and 2025, Indian companies secured 173 contracts valued at approximately $760 million, representing 5.3 percent of total procurement under Bank-financed projects. This participation strengthens delivery capacity and expands opportunities for private sector involvement in priority sectors.
In September 2024, an AfDB delegation led by Vice President Solomon Quaynor visited India to deepen commercial linkages and identify new investment opportunities. Discussions with private sector leaders focused on pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and technology, as well as expanding participation in the Bank’s project pipeline.
India’s partnership with Africa has also helped to advance digital systems and financial inclusion all over Africa. India contributed $2 million to the African Digital Financial Inclusion Facility in 2023 and in 2024 and signed the third phase of the Indian Technical Cooperation Agreement (India Trust Fund) worth $6 million.
In addition, India is using her experience in building large-scale digital platforms to offer relevant models as African countries modernise public systems and expand financial inclusion. There is also the work going on to strengthen health systems across the African continent through India’s involvement. As a global leader in vaccine and pharmaceutical production, India is helping to contribute through industrial partnerships and technology transfer, supporting scalable systems that improve health outcomes while boosting industrial capacity.
African countries and India have seen their partnership as an evolving collaboration that underscores a broader shift in global development—where partnerships among emerging economies are increasingly driving innovation, resilience, and inclusive growth.
Development initiatives backed by India have seen a remarkable increase over the past decade with the media outlet, “News on Air” saying that India has remained one of the largest investors in Africa, with cumulative investments spanning sectors like energy, agriculture, and manufacturing. Key sectors include the export of Indian pharmaceuticals, automobiles, agricultural machinery, and the import of African crude oil, raw materials, and precious metals.
According to the media outlet, South Asian Herald, India is actively transferring its scalable models of digital identity, e-governance, and interoperable payment systems to assist African nations in modernizing public services. In the area of tele-education and tele-medicine, India is using platforms like the e-VidyaBharti and e-ArogyaBharti (e-VBAB) networks, to provide virtual education and telemedicine services to youth and medical professionals in numerous African countries.
India has also been involved with development assistance and capacity building of African countries and has accordingly extended numerous concessional Lines of Credit (LoCs) to fund major infrastructure projects across Africa, including power plants, railways, and irrigation networks. It has also used programmes like the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) to provide thousands of scholarships annually to African professionals.
Though heartbreaking that the Summit has been put off, albeit for good reason, it is welcome news that India and the AU have agreed that it would be advisable to convene it at a later date. Hopefully, Ebola will be tackled very soon to create the atmosphere for the Summit!
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