Increasing interest of India in Africa has its pros and cons. Critically examine. (UPSC 2015)

India’s growing engagement with Africa reflects a shift from aid to partnership. It supports energy security, market access, strategic autonomy and India’s role as a voice of the Global South.

• Benefits: Trade has crossed USD 93.69 billion in FY 2025–26, while cumulative Indian investment is above USD 75 billion. Africa supplies crude oil and critical minerals, helping India’s green transition.
• Development gains: Lines of Credit, ITEC training, IIT Madras at Zanzibar and digital public goods like UPI strengthen capacity building and goodwill.
• Geopolitics: India backed African Union membership in G20 and deepened maritime security cooperation under SAGAR.
• Limits and risks: India faces China’s much larger footprint, slow project delivery, weak financing, debt stress in some states and political instability in conflict-prone regions.

Thus, India’s interest in Africa is strategically sound, but its success depends on faster execution, wider private investment and a more even spread across the continent.