Johannesburg, Nov 10 (NationPress) India has been progressively enhancing its diplomatic relationships with African nations, broadening its footprint across the continent and leading initiatives that culminated in the African Union joining the G20. This milestone is viewed as a significant success during India's G20 presidency in 2023, according to a report released on Monday.

The report highlighted that South Africa's G20 presidency marks a historic moment as it is the first instance where the premier forum for international economic collaboration has included Africa in a leadership capacity. This development aligns with the vision articulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018 regarding the foundational principles of India’s engagement with Africa.

During India's G20 Summit in New Delhi two years ago, Prime Minister Modi officially proclaimed the African Union's status as a permanent member of the group.

"This groundbreaking announcement empowers the AU to provide Africa with a consolidated voice in global economic governance, enhance equitable representation, and further the continent's interests in areas such as trade, climate change, and development. The journey towards the AU's inclusion in the G20 began seven years prior when Modi presented India’s ten guiding principles for relations with African nations at the Ugandan parliament," as detailed in the report from South African media outlet IOL.

“These principles emphasize that Africa is a priority for India, that India’s development partnerships will align with African priorities, that trade and investment between Africa and India will be encouraged, that India’s digital revolution will be shared with the continent, and that collaboration will extend to agriculture, climate action, combating terrorism and extremism, maritime security, fostering global engagement in Africa, reforming international institutions, and ensuring greater representation for Africa," it continued.

Since 2018, India has successfully established 17 new diplomatic missions across the continent in countries such as Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Guinea, Liberia, Mauritania, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Eswatini (Swaziland), and Togo.

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar has made it a priority to visit various African nations annually since joining the Union cabinet in 2019.

“Throughout his tenure, he has visited at least 13 African countries, including Ethiopia, Uganda, Nigeria, Namibia, South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania, Egypt, Kenya, Mauritius, Seychelles, Tunisia, and Niger,” the report noted.

In recent years, PM Modi has visited several African nations, such as Uganda, South Africa, Egypt, Kenya, Mauritius, Seychelles, Mozambique, Rwanda, Ghana, Namibia, and Tanzania.