labels: economy - general
India may offer duty-free access to products from Africa news
11 August 2007

Mumbai: India is planning to provide duty-free access to products from the least developed countries of Africa. New Delhi will also host its first summit with the African Union in April next year in a bid to put its traditional ties with the continent on a fast track.

"We expect to hold the India-Africa Forum summit in India in April," external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee said while delivering the inaugural Dharam Pal Memorial Lecture on 'India and Africa: Strong Bonds and Future Prospects' at the India Habitat Centre.

The lecture was organised by the Indian Society for Afro-Asian Studies and the Observer Research Foundation.

Stressing on the `civilizational, time-tested and unique' ties between the two sides, he said: "India is a dialogue partner of the African Union and will closely follow this evolving and step-by-step process. We will support all efforts that will bring sustainable peace, progress and stability in all the countries of Africa."

Mukherjee said the cabinet has already approved the draft framework of a preferential trade agreement with the Southern African Customs Union.

India's trade with African countries, meanwhile, doubled from $5,493 million in 2001-02 to $11,822 million in 2005-06. Bilateral trade has further shot up to $18,538 million during April 2006-January 2007.

"Cost-effective and intermediate technologies and our large human capital base gives us a unique advantage in areas of human resource development and capacity building," he said.

Africa is the largest recipient of India's technical and economic cooperation programme with an outlay of over a billion dollars, the minister said.

He also spoke about the Pan African e-network, being funded and built by India that will bridge the digital divide among 53 countries of the continent.

During his visit to Ethiopia last month, Mukherje inaugurated pilot projects of the e-network relating to tele-education and tele-medicine.

Mukherjee also sought African Union support for India's representation in an expanded UN Security Council.

"The aims and aspirations of developing countries like India and those of Africa will not be realised until institutions such as the UN, particularly the UNSC, are democratised," he stressed.


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India may offer duty-free access to products from Africa