India Positioning Itself As a Major Player in Africa | #india #africa #france #kenya #trade #defence

Ruchita Beri is a leading scholar and commentator on African Studies. She is currently Senior Fellow at Vivekananda International Foundation. In a career spanning over three decades, she has coordinated the Africa Centre at MP-IDSA, served as President of African Studies Association of India, member of CII’s Africa Committee and Editor of Africa Trends, a bi- annual magazine on Africa.

French Military Presence in Africa

- Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, Chad, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have terminated or plan to terminate defence agreements with France.
- G5 Sahel group (Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger, Mauritania) initially supported by France, now rejecting French presence.
- France's intervention (2013–2022) failed to stabilise the region or curb terrorism.

Reasons for Declining French Influence

- Failure to deliver on security objectives; terrorism persists in the Sahel.
- Economic issues: Poverty, corruption, and underdevelopment remain unresolved.
- Local dissatisfaction with perceived neo-colonialism and resource exploitation by France.
- Increasing preference for alternative partners like Russia, China, and India.

Geopolitical Shifts in the Sahel

- Russia’s Wagner Group entering Mali and other regions as France exits.
- Countries exploring partnerships with the Global South (e.g., India, UAE, Turkey) for economic and security support.
- Criticism of "Francafrique" policies for perpetuating dependence and stifling sovereignty.

Impact of Libya’s Fall (2011)

- Arms trafficking and mercenary migration destabilised the Sahel.
- Rise of terror groups like ISIS-linked factions and Boko Haram.
- Ongoing instability linked to poor governance and ethnic conflicts.

India’s Role in Africa

- Long-standing trade and maritime ties, with economic cooperation dating back centuries.
- Recent defence and maritime partnerships with Kenya, Tanzania, and others.
- Focus on capacity building, disaster response, and piracy mitigation in the Indian Ocean.
- Growing interest in supporting Africa’s development and security priorities.
- India’s trade with Africa has deep historical roots, dating back to the first century A.D., facilitated by Indian Ocean trade routes.
- Post-independence, India developed close economic relations with African nations, with trade volumes nearing $100 billion.
- Major trading partners include South Africa and Nigeria, though oil imports from Nigeria have declined.
- India is increasingly focusing on infrastructure, agriculture, and technology investments in Africa.
- India's military collaboration emphasises capacity building rather than direct intervention.
- Maritime security is a key area, with India assisting African nations in surveillance, anti-piracy operations, and disaster response.
- The Indian Navy has been active in the Gulf of Aden since 2008 to combat piracy and ensure safe trade routes.

Maritime Interests and Challenges

- Africa’s coastal nations lack strong naval capabilities; India provides training and technical support for Coast Guards and naval forces.
- Rising piracy and security threats in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden have renewed India’s focus on maritime security.
- The instability impacts 90% of India’s trade passing through the Red Sea and Suez Canal.

Global South Partnerships

- India is positioning itself as a partner aligned with African nations' development and sovereignty goals.
- African nations view India as a reliable alternative to Western powers, prioritising equitable and demand-based collaborations.
- India’s partnerships focus on supporting African development priorities rather than imposing neo-colonial influence.

Future Prospects

- India’s interest in Africa is likely to grow, leveraging historical ties and shared Global South identity.
- Potential areas of collaboration include renewable energy, digital technology, healthcare, and agriculture.
- India aims to deepen its presence in Africa while respecting the continent’s sovereignty and development needs.

Challenges Ahead

- Continued instability in the Sahel despite changes in partnerships.
- Uncertainty over whether new alliances can effectively address security and development needs.

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[RMate-buse]

Thank you for these informative videos. Please keep them coming!

[BigOil]

Don’t make the same mistakes as the Europeans or China. Don’t lend too much money or start basing troops etc, limited engagement where there is a direct resource or trade benefit to India. Don’t annoy the locals, hire local labor and train them unlike China.

[DanielHomeImprovement]

very interesting, finally found out why france is being kicked out of africa. Thanks a lot great channel

[sonmohtnohba]

India will have a tough time to gain trust in Africa. Most Africans regard Indians as racist and to make it clear too, Russia and China has a pre-colonial attachment with Africa and supports for liberation

[inaguluyux]

I’m African and know Indians have good business and relationships in Africa and they’re not new to Africa. We have Indians who live in Africa for six to seven generations and they’re not considered as foreigners like the Chinese and the Europeans .. they’re basically Indian-Africans ..

[DubaSangara]

why would you want to be militarily involved? you don't seem to get it. they are saying they don't want foreign troops in their countries

[greedyinvader]

India in Africa? What India do for Africa so far? Except talk and talk, never see any Africa leaders visit india

[aryaman]

India needs to build railways from east coast Africa to west.
Good episode, thank you folks.👍

[D-xl]

India don't behave like China you all watchers, be one

[cutemomr]

Well they still French lingufraca . French language. French currency ??

[uchihaitachi]

Although she touched lots of points in her explanation however she tried n left out the critical reasons why Africans want the french out for good. Africa had realized France is just a small uninteresting colonial vulture-type blood sucking creature that impoverishes them.

[sankalp]

Requesting a deep dive with this interviewee on Mozambique ties. Mozambique has security problems with jihadists and Mozambique is rich in natural gas reserves that are useful for Bharat to diversify supply away from Qatar. Would be good to learn what, if any, tangible progress has been made.

[Changewithin]

Only if Gadaffi was successful in uniting African nations, Africa would have been stable if not powerful.

[HudSan-ie]

India has been trying to make her presence felt in Africa since Gandhi was in South Africa in the 19 th century
Last time one checked, no dent was created in about a century & a half, so what prompts one to believe that the pace will certainly change per Modi's wish list

[bhaskarmajumdar]

With respect to Kenya, Modi bated for Adani and now Adani is blacklisted there. Modi has tarnished the image of India.

[mickjacky]

Above all mend the local, internal problems, poverty index, hunger index and low gdp, economical growth, social welfares in north india, , ,

[mickjacky]

India a major player ?😂😂😂😂 are u gone nuts? Why Wasting the time and speaking things that will never happen with bjp rss in power ?