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India boosts influence across Africa

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India boosts influence across Africa

The Indian government is raising its diplomatic profile in Africa, with Indian companies striving to keep up with China’s business profile in Africa, taking advantage of historical ties with the continent, analysts have said.

Last year the continent witnessed the conclusion of one of the biggest deals when India’s Airtel acquired Kuwait’s Zain that had operations in 16 African countries. The change probably meant little to the average customer, but for the continent, it’s another sign that India is moving in. It underscores the rise of India in Africa, at a time when much of the focus on foreign investment here has been on China.

“I think one of the things that India doesn’t want to allow to happen is that it doesn’t want to get behind in this kind of engagement,” said Sanusha Naidu, research director at the Britain-based Fahamu organisation, an advocacy group tracking African issues.
Mr Naidu said India’s renewed interest in Africa has not received as much attention as China’s because India is not seen as a threat.

“It is seen as a democratic state,” Mr Naidu, a South African, said. “It doesn’t have a communist regime. All that plays in favour of India.” India and China are vying for Africa because of the bottom line: Africa represents new growth. “This is the last growth continent in the world. Europe is a done industry.

The US is a done industry. Southeast Asia is old,” said Sunil Mittal, founder and chairman of Bharti Airtel. “Our model is not suitable for a matured market. We need growth and Africa is the right place to grow.”

The International Monetary Fund says sub-Saharan Africa will register the second-highest growth rates in the world in 2011, behind only Asia. The IMF said sub-Saharan Africa’s economic growth rate will be five per cent in 2010, compared with 2.5 per cent in 2009. This year, the IMF projects Africa’s rate will be 5.5 per cent.

The relations between India and Africa are centuries old. In the 1960s and 1970s, India helped newly independent African states by training them at Indian universities and other institutions. Indian conglomerates such as the Tata Group have had a presence in Africa for decades.

But India is now changing its relationship with Africa from the political, such as advocating an end to colonialism, to the economic. In recent years, some Indian companies have expanded their business in Africa, propelling what were once small operations into major players.

Along with business, India is playing a philanthropic role in Africa, while at the same time raising its profile. During a summit with African leaders in April 2008, India pledged more than $500 million in grants for development projects. It also pledged to increase by more than $2 billion its lines of credit to African countries and regional economic groups.

The summit was India’s first with African leaders. However, China has held three such summits since 2003, where it has pledged loans and infrastructure projects much bigger than what India has promised. In its most recent summit in November 2009, China pledged $10 billion in loans over a three-year period.

In October, India’s Commerce and Industry minister Anand Sharma led a trade mission to East Africa. He said India is exploring whether African farmers can be encouraged to grow legumes and export them to India, the world’s largest market for legumes.

“I think at this time India is taking off in terms of industrialisation, so definitely they are looking for a market,” said Jacob Mignouna, the technical director at the Nairobi-based research organisation the African Agricultural Technology Foundation. “Of course there may be some philanthropic aspect of it, but the bottom line is, they are looking for trade, for opportunities also for the Indian industries.”

The close relationship between India and Africa is reflected in trade. Between April and July 2010, India exported $4.8 billion worth of goods to Africa — a 51 per cent increase from the same period in 2009. India imported about $7.8 billion worth of goods from Africa between April and July 2010, a 40.7 per cent increase from the previous year.

The Bharti Airtel investment in Africa is so far one of the biggest from corporate India. In 2009 , Bharti Airtel, India’s largest mobile phone company, tried and failed to acquire South Africa’s MTN, one of the continent’s largest communication companies.

Last year Bharti Airtel bought the Africa operations of Kuwait operator Zain for $10.7 billion, and immediately began slashing prices. Call prices dropped 50 per cent or more in 11 countries to attract more customer.

The founder Mr Mittal said he wants to more than double the company’s Africa business in the next two and a half years to 100 million subscribers. At the end of September, Bharti Airtel said it had about 40 million subscribers in Africa.

India boosts influence across Africa
 
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Do indians have the economic muscle to match the Chinese?? If they are attempting to do so it will only result in drain on Indian resources further increasing their %% of poor, malnourished destitute poors... sounds like an expansionist dictatorship rather than true democracy!
 
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Do indians have the economic muscle to match the Chinese?? If they are attempting to do so it will only result in drain on Indian resources further increasing their %% of poor, malnourished destitute poors... sounds like an expansionist dictatorship rather than true democracy!

What about other nations investing there... dictatorships, them too.. or is it expert opinion on just India? :police:
 
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Do indians have the economic muscle to match the Chinese?? If they are attempting to do so it will only result in drain on Indian resources further increasing their %% of poor, malnourished destitute poors... sounds like an expansionist dictatorship rather than true democracy!

so if some country does business with other countries that results in draining of country's resources making country poor????
wow and poor economists think that foreign trade boosts economy.
you should get Nobel prize of economy for this invention.:rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
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so if some country does business with other countries that results in draining of country's resources making country poor????
wow and poor economists think that foreign trade boosts economy.
you should get Nobel prize of economy for this invention.:rofl::rofl::rofl:

India is taking risky investment in Africa which requires huge secondary investment in infrastructure and security of the project. Better keep this money in India itself to help the millions of poor and destitute but wait India cant its desperate to match the Chinese muscle even if that means millions of infant death each year, malnourished people, toilet less communities and thousands of farmer suicides.

One of the legacies British left behind in India is their colonial mentality. India sees itself as the inheritor of English crown..so often that it forgets social issues at home and aggressively peruses foreign influence, land mass and weaponisation.

Some may take it as pride or business as usual but the long sighed ones know where india is headed and whats its intentions judging from history.
 
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^^^^^

Just the private Indian companies are investing there... How can they be acting like dictators?
 
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India is taking risky investment in Africa which requires huge secondary investment in infrastructure and security of the project. Better keep this money in India itself to help the millions of poor and destitute but wait India cant its desperate to match the Chinese muscle even if that means millions of infant death each year, malnourished people, toilet less communities and thousands of farmer suicides.

One of the legacies British left behind in India is their colonial mentality. India sees itself as the inheritor of English crown..so often that it forgets social issues at home and aggressively peruses foreign influence, land mass and weaponisation.

Some may take it as pride or business as usual but the long sighed ones know where india is headed and whats its intentions judging from history.

you are a gem
private companies doing business with foreign nations bring poverty to INDIA. Even if they are making money out of it, its unfair to poors in INDIA, because this companies should have done business with INDIAN poors and should have earned profits only from them.
great keep it up. i like laughing.:pop::pop:
 
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Do indians have the economic muscle to match the Chinese?? If they are attempting to do so it will only result in drain on Indian resources further increasing their %% of poor, malnourished destitute poors... sounds like an expansionist dictatorship rather than true democracy!

96% poor in india. wow i would really like know the source.
 
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India is taking risky investment in Africa which requires huge secondary investment in infrastructure and security of the project. Better keep this money in India itself to help the millions of poor and destitute but wait India cant its desperate to match the Chinese muscle even if that means millions of infant death each year, malnourished people, toilet less communities and thousands of farmer suicides.

One of the legacies British left behind in India is their colonial mentality. India sees itself as the inheritor of English crown..so often that it forgets social issues at home and aggressively peruses foreign influence, land mass and weaponisation.

Some may take it as pride or business as usual but the long sighed ones know where india is headed and whats its intentions judging from history.

yes u can leave the judgement part to our future generations. the fact remains india had huge presence in africa during the days of indira gandhi. she was deeply respected in whole of africa. our diplomacy failed during late eighties where we completely ignored africa from our strategic thinking. mean while china using her new found economic muscle increased her presence in africa.
its only recently that indian govt has realised its folly and again made efforts to make its presence felt in africa.

indian government is helping various countries in infrastructure programmes. it is also encouraging private indian companies like bharti enterprises, tatas and reliance to invest more in african countries.

dont worry my friend we can sustain lil bit of drain on indian economy.
 
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India is taking risky investment in Africa which requires huge secondary investment in infrastructure and security of the project. Better keep this money in India itself to help the millions of poor and destitute but wait India cant its desperate to match the Chinese muscle even if that means millions of infant death each year, malnourished people, toilet less communities and thousands of farmer suicides.

What a logic to define growth ... may be Top Notch management universities should take advice from you Mr..... why dont you do a favour to the world.. right a book ...
 
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by somebozo
Do Indians have the economic muscle to match the Chinese?? If they are attempting to do so it will only result in drain on Indian resources further increasing their %% of poor, malnourished destitute poors... sounds like an expansionist dictatorship rather than true democracy!
expansion of trade with Africa wont result in drain on Indian resources. instead we will make billions of $ through this trade. Indian private companies are investing not GOI. so how it will drain our resources?get your facts straight.
PS: as a Pakistani you must be worried due to increasing trade relations between Africa and India. worrying due to possible loss of china?don't worry we will do what is in our nations interest.:wave:
 
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Do indians have the economic muscle to match the Chinese?? If they are attempting to do so it will only result in drain on Indian resources further increasing their %% of poor, malnourished destitute poors... sounds like an expansionist dictatorship rather than true democracy!

Congrats. You win my weekly prize for laugh of the week. :cheers:
 
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India is taking risky investment in Africa which requires huge secondary investment in infrastructure and security of the project. Better keep this money in India itself to help the millions of poor and destitute but wait India cant its desperate to match the Chinese muscle even if that means millions of infant death each year, malnourished people, toilet less communities and thousands of farmer suicides.

One of the legacies British left behind in India is their colonial mentality. India sees itself as the inheritor of English crown..so often that it forgets social issues at home and aggressively peruses foreign influence, land mass and weaponisation.

Some may take it as pride or business as usual but the long sighed ones know where india is headed and whats its intentions judging from history.

Stop this idiotic advice, best suited for you as no one in your country care abt your own poor, but have all the money to fire rockets to the other side of the border.

Nonsense rant.
 
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India is taking risky investment in Africa which requires huge secondary investment in infrastructure and security of the project. Better keep this money in India itself to help the millions of poor and destitute but wait India cant its desperate to match the Chinese muscle even if that means millions of infant death each year, malnourished people, toilet less communities and thousands of farmer suicides.

One of the legacies British left behind in India is their colonial mentality. India sees itself as the inheritor of English crown..so often that it forgets social issues at home and aggressively peruses foreign influence, land mass and weaponisation.

Some may take it as pride or business as usual but the long sighed ones know where india is headed and whats its intentions judging from history.

What !?OMG
cat-high.jpg

Can someone let me know,why many of pakistanis members nowdays come up with CHINA instead of their own country ??what kinda behaviour it's,am confused ?
 
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