When President Ram Nath Kovind came back from his first trip abroad, in his luggage on the special Indian Air Force plane was a Baobab tree. One of the most important trees on the island-country of Madagascar, the Baobab is special as it is considered their tree of life. And in a way, this symbolises the relationship that this government—especially the president—hopes to have with Africa.
On his way to Africa again, President Kovind has chosen to visit countries that are really 'off the beaten track'. He will be on a six-day tour to Equatorial Guinea, Swaziland and Zambia from Saturday.
“It is not by coincidence that all the three visits have been to Africa,'' said Ashok Malik, press secretary to the president, at a press briefing. “This reflects the importance in Indian foreign policy given to Africa by this government and the country generally. It also reflects President Kovind’s personal commitment to that relationship with the countries of Africa.''
The trip is the first-ever visit of the head of state or head of government of India to Equatorial Guinea and Swaziland and a presidential visit to Zambia is taking place after a gap of 29 years.
These trips are important to demonstrate India's intent and commitment to Africa. But in terms of agreements, there is not expected to be much progress.
In Equatorial Guinea, a brand-new non-permanent member to the UN Security Council this year, the president hopes to go beyond just energy relationships. At present, Equatorial Guinea is India's fourth largest supplier of natural gas. It is hoped that he will diversify the relationship to include agriculture.
In Zambia, the idea is to renew a relationship that was once very strong. “He particularly looks forward to renewing one of India’s strongest relationships in Africa with Zambia. He also looks forward to meeting former Zambian president Kenneth Kaunda who is a statesman of our times and a very respected figure,'' said Malik. India does have trade worth a $1 billion with Zambia. In terms of Indian investment, Zambia has a 'sizeable' amount at $5 billion.
In Swaziland, one of the world's oldest monarchies, Kovind will hold delegation-level meetings and will inaugurate with King Mswati-III the Information Technology Center located in the Royal Science and Technology Park. The centre has been set up with the assistance of Indian government. He will also be the first head of state to address the Swazi Parliament.
For India, reaching out to Africa visibly and with enthusiasm is essential. China has edged out India in terms of spending in the continent. Despite old associations and deep ties, India has not managed to be able to leverage this advantage. The Modi government did try to engage with Africa. There was the biggest-ever India-Africa Summit in 2015, the largest gathering of African leaders on Indian soil with 54 nations and 40 heads of state.
India had offered a push to build capacity in Africa with an additional $10 billion in concessional credit over the next five years. It has also offered a grant assistance of $600 million. This included an India Africa Development Fund of $10 million. Despite the huge turnout and the jamboree associated with the event, the relationship did not improve. There has been a spate of incidents of racist violence against the African community—which the government has not been able to stop. Nor has its soft diplomacy skills been able to reassure the community that these issues will be sorted out.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor—who is the chairman of Parliament's External Affairs Committee—claims that Modi's African engagement has not been successful. “And stated goals, such as those accompanying the impressive India-Africa summit in New Delhi, do not seem to have the investment of adequate resources to fulfil them,'' he wrote in an article in the National Herald on Friday. The question is can the Baobab tree flower?