India is cozying up with Nigeria, to get easier access to the vast African market, and step into China's territory. New Delhi has brought fresh proposition to the African table: From free trade agreements to targeted economic partnerships. Can India’s approach offer African nations the meaningful partnership they have been seeking?
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent Nigeria visit signalled a bold move.
00:05India is lining up with other global powers for influence in Africa regarding trade and partnerships.
00:12It faces huge competition from another Asian giant, China.
00:17The Indians are okay, but I would still choose China.
00:21I would prefer China because I already see what China and Chinese are doing in Nigeria.
00:25But for a change, we can try what the Indians have to offer.
00:28Let's see, draw a comparison, then make our choices.
00:31Welcome to The Flipside.
00:35The last time an Indian Prime Minister visited Nigeria was 17 years ago.
00:40And the West African country, Africa's largest economy,
00:43holds the key to India's broader bilateral interests on the continent.
00:48Building on decades of shared colonial struggle and cultural bonds,
00:52India sees Nigeria as the cornerstone of its broader African engagement strategy.
00:57Africa has been on India's priority list since the early 1990s.
01:04Since then, there is an increase in relations between India and many African countries,
01:10but specifically those countries where India can increase its relations for oil imports.
01:19New Delhi is offering development assistance to African countries
01:23through low-interest loans and training programs.
01:26India and Nigeria are also pushing for UN Security Council reforms.
01:30And in addition, Prime Minister Modi pushed for the African Union to be included as a G20 member.
01:37But will India's approach make an impact?
01:40India has a much better image in Africa than China has.
01:43India has more goodwill and it has stronger historic ties with African nations.
01:48And from this angle, I would say they are underperforming because of structural,
01:56because of capacity concerns.
01:58China's strong presence in African countries remains an obstacle.
02:02But India has stepped up to actively support Africa in the face of crises.
02:07What we saw in COVID was that India was one of the very few countries in the world
02:12that actually delivered vaccines, but also other medical goods.
02:18And we're talking about a time when many Western countries and China
02:23were only serving their own population.
02:26So would India make for a better ally?
02:29Every African country should try to leverage as many relations as they can.
02:37Africa's mineral wealth is critical for India's growing electric vehicle demands.
02:42Combined with the strategic geographic position in the Indian Ocean
02:46could make it an invaluable partner.
02:48But experts say African nations should be cautious
02:52and not place all their eggs in one basket.
02:56And that's the flip side.