Paper: GS – II, Subject: International Relations, Topic: India and its relations with other nations, Issue: India-Africa relations.
Context:
Africa Day (May 25) commemorates the founding of the Organisation of African Unity in 1963 which prompts a relook at the relationship.
Key Highlights:
Digital Focus: Africa’s development is entering a new phase via the African Union’s Digital Transformation Strategy (2020–2030). It emphasizes the adoption of digital tools for inclusive and accelerated socio-economic progress.
India’s Evolving Development Diplomacy in Africa:
Past Approach: Focus was mainly on capacity-building and infrastructure through initiatives like:
- Pan-African e-Network (2009) – telemedicine and tele-education.
- Projects are being implemented by TCIL on behalf of the Indian government.
Current Shift: From hardware and basic services to technology-driven, co-developed solutions leveraging India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) such as Aadhaar, UPI, CoWIN, and DIKSHA.
Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) as a Development Tool:
- India’s DPI: It offers a low-cost, scalable, and public-oriented digital model. It offers alternatives to surveillance-driven or proprietary Western models.
Adoption in Africa:
- Togo (2021): MoU with India for implementing Modular Open-Source Identification Platform.
- Zambia (2023): MoU for supporting digital infrastructure via IIT-B.
- UPI Expansion: Ghana and other countries are exploring UPI-like payment systems.
Capacity Building initiatives: IIT-M Zanzibar Campus, first overseas IIT campus and offers data science and AI programmes fostering academic exchanges and local innovation.
Strategic and Geopolitical Significance:
- Non-Coercive Engagement: India’s approach is not based on ideological alignment or geopolitical rivalry. India’s focus is on partner capacity to meet national digital goals.
- Alternative to China and West: China uses state-backed loans for digital infrastructure whereas India offers open-source, community-centric models.
Opportunities for a New India-Africa Digital Compact:
It is anchored in mutual respect, co-development and long-term institutional partnerships. It supports inclusive and interoperable platforms for public services.
Challenges ahead:
- Digital Divide: Africa has the world’s largest digital divide.
- Connectivity issues: Poor connectivity, gender gaps, rural-urban disparities, high data costs.
- Energy Deficit: Reliable energy access is essential for digital infrastructure.
Conclusion:
A new India-Africa digital compact could become a cornerstone of South-South cooperation which emphasizes mutual respect, co-development, and institution-building. It reflects India’s shift towards a non-exploitative, inclusive, and scalable digital diplomacy.
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