Oct 18,2022:Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Africa who are attending the DefExpo in Gandhinagar, Gujarat on October 17, 2022.
In the course of the meetings, the defence minister met with Major General Hanana Ould Sidi, Defence Minister of Mauritania, Rameaux-Claude Bureau, Defence Minister of Central African Republic, Sering Modou Njie Defence Minister of Gambia, Dominic Aduna Bingab Nitiwul, Defence Minister of Republic of Ghana, Abraham Belay, Defence Minister of Republic of Ethiopia and Janine Tatiana Santos Lelis, Defence Minister of Republic of Cabo Verde.
India-Africa Defence Dialogue will be held on October 18 on the sidelines of DefExpo 2022. Defence cooperation between the sub-continent and Africa made a grand start in 2019, as India laid ground for the first-ever joint exercise with 17 African countries, Africa-India Field Training Exercise-2019 (AFINDEX-19).
Traditionally, Africa has depended on Western market for arms purchase and to an extent on China. But India ‘s security outreach towards Africa has been hailed as among the finest Peacekeeping forces right from the first UN Mission in the Congo. Since then, India has been instrumental in mobilising almost all the peacekeeping initiatives under the UN Peacekeeping Operations.
India has been historically aligned with African security and has been assisting in training & and skill development. However, the exchange of defence equipment with Africa has been restricted due to the inward- looking defence policies until the launch of ( Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020.
It is expected that between India and the African countries will discuss the joint cooperation during the meeting. The Ministry of Defence have targetted exports worth $5 billion by 2025. It is expected that joint declaration will be issued after the dialogue which set forth the mechanism for export and coordinated military exercise.
The maritime spectrum of India embraces the Indo Pacific Strategy in its entirety. The maritime is the key aspect of Indian security architecture that puts forth the sanctity of international water and maintains neutrality under the UNCLOS. The Indian Navy also participated in Exercise IBSAMAR-VI in South Africa.
It stretched the naval exercise in the Southern Indian Ocean Region with Seychelles, Mauritius, Reunion, Madagascar and Comoros. During the deployment, the Indian Navy also participated in Phase III of EX-VARUNA at Reunion Island.
India also launched several Lines of Credit for the African countries to provide assistance to their needs. The policy and transparency, global testing norms based on the robust process put India as favourite spot for procuring military grade equipment from India.
On the higher ground, India has produced a 4+ generation fighter jet – LCA Tejas and highly capable Advanced Light Helicopters( ALH) in the rotary wing.
Several countries have already shown interest in procuring home grown platforms and systems from India. Africa remains at the core of such strategic partnerships.
Interestingly, defence vehicle manufacturer, Ashok Leyland has supplied 1200 vehicles to six African countries: Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Kenya, Djibouti, Seychelles and Botswana and Zimbabwe.
