Destination Africa for India, Japan

The first meeting of the India-Japan dialogue on Africa to be held in Tokyo on Tuesday and Wednesday will kick off the countries’ effort to synchronise strategies in that continent.

The first meeting of the India-Japan dialogue on Africa to be held in Tokyo on Tuesday and Wednesday will kick off the countries’ effort to synchronise strategies in that continent.

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While China has a lead in Africa, both Tokyo and New Delhi have been devising ways to leverage their presence there. The Indian team going to the meet will be headed by joint secretary in-charge of Africa in the Ministry of External Affairs Gurjit Singh. The idea was first discussed when Japanese foreign Minister Katsuya Okada visited India in August this year.

According to government officials, Tokyo feels that the goodwill they get in return for the money they spend would be negligible as Indian projects are hugely popular in Africa.

“In short, it’s like Japanese money can be used they way we use ours,” said an official. “The projects we have are based on participatory models, making the local population stake-holders, focusing on capacity building and doing what they want rather than what we feel they want,” he said.

India’s Pan-African e-network project, that seeks to empower the resource-rich continent through tele-medicine and tele-education, has become a huge hit. Some 15,000 African students are studying in India.

Since the early 1990’s Japan has been hosting African summits at intervals, while China hosted its first African summit in 2006 and India in 2008.

But India and Japan have reservations over China’s mission Africa. India and Japan import almost most of their crude requirement from the Middle East while China imports 32 per cent of its oil from Africa, and more than 60 per cent of Chinese direct investment in the continent goes to oil-producing nations such as Angola and Nigeria.

Apart from the huge investments in oil sectors and mines, China has invested $10b in concessional loans over the next three years along with other measures aimed at strengthening African-Chinese ties.

India has pledged $5.4 billion in the next five years, and will provide preferential market access for exports from all 50 least developed countries, including 34 from Africa.

Japan had said it would double its aid to Africa by 2012, including $4 billion in soft, flexible loans for infrastructure projects. It will also give $2.5 billion fund to boost private investment through the Japan Bank for International Cooperation.

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India has pledged $5.4 billion in the next five years

It will provide preferential market access for exports from all 50 least developed countries, including 34 from Africa

Japan had said it would double its aid to Africa by 2012, including $4 billion in soft, flexible loans for infrastructure projects

It will also give $2.5 billion fund to boost private investment through the Japan Bank for International Cooperation