India-Africa summit to discuss 145 projects worth $9 billion

The 6th India-Africa summit, to be held in New Delhi on 15-16 March, involving delegates from 34 countries, is expected to finalise 145 projects worth over $9 billion.

Delegations from 34 African countries comprising senior ministers, business heads, bankers and development specialists numbering over 400 would be converging at the 6th CII-Exim Bank Conclave on India-Africa Project Partnership being organised in New Delhi during 15 -16 March 2010, a CII release said.

The theme of the current conclave is: 'Developing Synergies: Creating a Vision' and the summit will seek to build on the past five summits, beginning with the first summit held in New Delhi in April 2008, the release said.

The conclave will seek to build a roadmap for the second edition of the Forum Summit, which is scheduled to be held in the coming year. The deliberations at the conclave will be linked to four sub-themes - India-Africa Partnership, Rural Economies, Africa Tomorrow and Going Green.

The discussions will include two key areas, skills development and adaptable technologies, which are of key importance to many African economies.

The 5th conclave of the India-Africa Forum is reported to have discussed projects worth over $7.2 billion spread over 193 projects, while over 58 MoUs were signed covering sectors such as agriculture, SMEs, and IT training.