India and African Union

• The African Union (AU) is a continental union consisting of 55 member states

• The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999
• The bloc was founded on 26 May 2001 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
• Officially launched on 9 July 2002 in Durban, South Africa.
• AU replace the Organization of African Unity (OAU), established in1963
• It completed 20 years in 2022
• The African Union has more than 1.3 billion
• Primary Objective:
• To promote unity, cooperation, and development among African nations
• Advancing the continent's interests on the global stage.
• It aims to strengthen political, economic, and social integration among African countries
• It wish to establish an integrated, prosperous, and peaceful Africa
• Headquarters: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
• The Organisation of African Unity (OAU) was established on 25th May 1963
• 32 African States signed the OUA Charter in Addis Ababa to create the block
• OAU was Africa’s first post-independence continental institution
• It was created for a united and free Africa based on freedom, justice, equality and dignity
of the African people.
• Objective of OAU was to eradicate colonisation and to promote unity and solidarity
• The African Economic Community in 1981.
• OAU often dubbing it the "Dictators' Club"
• On 9th September 1999, OAU leaders called for the establishment of an African Union
• The Sirte Declaration was passed to enable the role of Africa in the global economy.
• The African Union (AU) was officially launched in July 2002 in Durban, South Africa.
• 1999 - The Sirte Extraordinary Session
• It was decided to establish an African Union
• 2000 - The Lome Summit
• It adopted the Constitutive Act of the Union.
• 2001 - The Lusaka Summit
• It drew the road map for the implementation of the AU
• 2002 - The Durban Summit
• It launched the AU and convened the 1st Assembly of the Heads of States of the African Union.
• Assembly
• It is the highest decision-making body
• It consist of the heads of state and government of member countries
• Executive Council
• Made up of foreign affairs ministers
• It handles policy matters and makes recommendations to the Assembly.
• AU Commission
• It is headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
• It is the administrative arm of AU
• It is responsible for implementing the decisions of the Assembly and the Executive Council.
• The Peace and Security Council
• Responsible for maintaining peace and security on the continent.
• The AU structure promotes the participation of African citizens and civil society through the
• Pan-African Parliament
• The Economic, Social & Cultural Council (ECOSOCC)
• It is a civil society consultative body.
 Controlling Bodies of African Union (AU)

Committees/Councils Functions

African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) Handling issues related to Human Rights.

African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR)

African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the

Child.

AU Commission on International Law (AUCIL) Handling the legal and judicial matters of the 55 member
states
AU Advisory Board on Corruption (AUABC)

The Assembly of Heads of State and Government It is the governing body of AU having decision-making powers.

Executive Council Handling foreign trade, social security, food, agriculture and
communications of the continent.

Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) Manages the executive council.

Peace and Security Council Facilitating a timely and effective response to any conflict and
crisis in Africa.

African Union Commission Responsible for the administration of AU.

• African Continental Free Trade Area:
• It was established in 2018 by the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCTA).
• It is expected to boost intra-African trade by about USD35 billion by the end of 2022.
• The larger market area will likely attract investment for continental infrastructure development.
• The increased trade will create jobs, improve social welfare and strengthen industrialisation.
• Diplomatic Achievement:
• AU has established a permanent mission in Beijing, China
• to strengthen economic, commercial and cultural ties with Africa’s largest trading partner.
• This consolidates Africa’s global profile and ability to speak with one voice on world affairs.
• Women’s Economic Financial Inclusion:
• AU championed a 10-year continental declaration aimed at gender equality and women’s
empowerment that was introduced in February 2020.
• This declaration, called the Decade of Women’s Financial and Economic Inclusion, sees African
leaders commit to taking action for gender inclusion towards sustainable development at national,
regional, and continental levels.
• Unconstitutional Hold on Power
• Africa has seen a troubling resurgence of military coups
• leaders using unconstitutional means to cling to power.
• There have been at least 32 coups and coup attempts since 2013.
• Five out of the seven coup attempts since 2020 succeeded.
• The death toll from the suppression of anti-coup protests in Sudan, for instance, is over 100.
• Over 18 million Sudanese are threatened by food insecurity.
• Disregard for the Rule of Law
• An increasing number of democratically elected and legitimate governments are cracking down on civil
society organisations.
• The governments are squeezing out institutions that should hold them accountable and are silencing the
media.
• They arrest activists and enact laws that restrict civil society organisations and their activities.
• Permanente Membership at UNSC
• The UN Security Council is yet to give Africa at least two permanent seats.
• Over two-thirds of the council’s agenda concerns Africa
• yet the continent is excluded from permanent representation.
• Geostrategic Importance
• Proximity to India: Africa's Horn region is critical for India's security due to emerging threats like
radicalism, piracy, and organized crime.
• Economic Significance
• Diversifying energy sources: Africa can help India diversify its energy sources, aligning with the
Integrated Energy Policy.
• Rich resources: Africa possesses valuable minerals, metals, and abundant agricultural land,
addressing India's need for food security and resources.
• Market and investment opportunities: Africa provides a space for Indian investments and trade
expansion, fostering economic cooperation.
• India-Africa Trade: Key Stats
• In the year 2021-22, India's trade volume with Africa reached US$ 89.5 billion.
• India has a close relationship with the Southern African Development Community (SADC), which
was founded in 1980.
• The SADC consists of 16 nations and represents 35.4 percent of Africa's land area, 28.4 percent of
its total GDP, and 28.2 percent of its population.
• India and SADC have a strong partnership, with total trade reaching $30.8 billion USD in mid-2021.
• Over the past 26 years, India has invested a total of US$ 69.9 billion in the SADC region.
• Geopolitical Considerations
• Support for UNSC seat: Africa's support is crucial for India's aspiration to gain a permanent seat on
the UN Security Council.
• Projection of soft and hard power: India showcases its soft and hard power in Africa, contributing to
its global influence.
• Peacekeeping and capacity building: India actively participates in UN peacekeeping operations and
supports capacity building in African countries, strengthening bilateral ties.
• Social Infrastructure:
• The India-Africa social infrastructure (education, health, skills) cooperation is multidimensional,
comprehensive, and involves national, state, and subnational actors working toward augmenting
African institutional and individual capacities.
• Common Geo-Political Interests:
• India and Africa have common interests on international issues, UN reforms, counter-
terrorism, peacekeeping, cyber security, and energy security.
• Economic Cooperation:
• India’s economic engagement with Africa is substantive.
• In the last decade and a half, trade between India and Africa has multiplied and diversified–bilateral
trade of USD63.3 billion in 2018-19 made India the third-largest trading partner for the continent.
• Support in Fight Against Covid-19:
• Under the e-ITEC initiative, India has shared Covid-19 management strategies, training webinars
exclusively to train healthcare professionals from Africa by Indian health experts.
• India is also sending consignments of essential medicines, including hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and paracetamol,
to many African countries in addition to doctors and paramedics.
• Institutionalization of relations
• The India-Africa Forum Summit serves as the framework for India-Africa relations under South-South Cooperation.
• Expanded diplomatic presence
• India announced the opening of embassies in 18 African countries, strengthening diplomatic ties.
• Economic engagement
• Bilateral trade between India and Africa has grown significantly
• India becoming Africa's third-largest trade partner.
• Investment and development cooperation
• Indian investments in Africa have increased, with the country being the seventh-largest investor in the region.
• Lines of Credit (LoC)
• India's concessional LoCs support development projects in Africa,
• It sanctioned 182 projects, amounting to US$10.5 billion.
• Bilateral cooperation
• Collaboration includes areas such as solar energy, climate change, information technology, maritime security, counter-
terrorism, and military training.
• Soft power projection
• India's ITEC program offers scholarships to African students, and the Indian diaspora contributes to cultural exchange.
• Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) program
• India's ITEC program provides technical assistance to African countries, with around 50% of ITEC slots
reserved for Africa.
• Asia-Africa Growth Corridor
• The AAGC, a cooperation agreement between India, Japan, and African countries, aims for inclusive
development.
• Pan African e-Network
• The PAeN facilitates tele-education and telemedicine in Africa, contributing to technological advancement.
• Maritime cooperation
• India's collaboration with African nations in the maritime domain, exemplified by joint exercises, promotes
regional security.
• Peacekeeping operations
• India actively participates in UN peacekeeping operations in Africa, supporting African counter-terrorism efforts
and capacity building.
• Duty-free tariff preferential scheme
• India's scheme benefits African nations, and the India-Africa Forum Summit plays a vital role in strengthening
ties.
• India Africa Defence Ministers conclave
• Initiatives like this enhance defence cooperation and bilateral relations.
• China's extensive investments in Africa have significantly increased
• China heavily invested in infrastructure, natural resources, and maritime interests.
• Access to resources, untapped markets, and support for the "One China Policy" drive
China's engagement.
• Develop a focused Africa strategy
• India should formulate a comprehensive strategy for the next decade, identifying key areas of
cooperation.
• Focus on capacity building
• Investing in human capital is crucial for sustainable development in Africa.
• Collaborate with civil society organizations and diaspora
• Indian organizations and the diaspora can play a vital role in implementing development projects at
lower costs.
• Ensure timely project completion
• Efforts should be made to expedite LoC projects, learning from countries with better implementation
records.
• Declining trade and investment
• Bilateral trade and Indian investments in Africa have witnessed fluctuations, demanding efforts to
enhance economic ties.
• Short-term focus
• LoCs have primarily funded small-scale projects, lacking a broader development perspective.
• Competition from other powers
• India faces competition from other countries like China, Brazil, and Russia, engaging Africa in
various sectors.
• Lack of synchronization
• Development instruments like LoCs, grants, and capacity-building initiatives operate independently,
lacking coordination.
• Instances of racial attacks
• Incidents of violence against African students in India pose challenges to people-to-people
connections.
• Enhance mutual engagement
• Organize the pending fourth India-Africa Forum Summit to further strengthen the relationship.
• Allocate fresh financial resources
• Allocate new resources for grants and concessional loans, prioritizing economic relations.
• Focus on emerging sectors
• Develop collaborations in health, space, and digital technologies to give a 21st-century dimension to the
partnership.
• Continued support in peacekeeping
• Sustain India's contributions to peacekeeping, counter-terrorism, and capacity building in Africa.
• Improve experiences of Africans in India
• Ensure the safety and well-being of Africans studying or working in India, promoting people-to-people
connections.
• Promote development-friendly private investments
• Align development cooperation with commercial interests to support mutually beneficial projects.
• Strengthen international cooperation
• Collaborate with international allies to address the China challenge in Africa, emphasizing partnership-based
approaches.
• Addressing Food security
• Agriculture and food security can also be a fulcrum for deepening ties.
• Africa has a major chunk of the world’s arable land but produces a very small percentage of the global agri-output.
• India has proven expertise in the agriculture sector, being the top producer of much agricultural produce.
• Thereby, India and Africa both can cooperate in ensuring food and nutritional security for each other.
• Combating Neo-Colonialism
• China has been actively pursuing Chequebook and donation diplomacy in Africa.
• However, Chinese investment is seen as neo-colonial in nature as it focuses on money, political influence, hard-infrastructure projects and resource extraction.
• India’s approach, on the other hand, is one that focuses on building local capacities and an equal partnership with Africans and not merely with African elites concerned.
• Preventing Global Rivalries
• In recent years, several global economic players have strengthened their engagement with African states, with an eye to rising economic opportunities, including
in energy, mining, infrastructure and connectivity.
• As global engagement in Africa increases, India and Africa can ensure that Africa does not once again turn into a theatre of rival ambitions.
• The AU should deal decisively with member states that undermine the rule of law within their territories.
• The rule of law is essential for sustained and inclusive economic growth, sustainable development, and the eradication of poverty and hunger.
• The rule of law enables people, business and commerce to flourish.
• African leaders should address the problems which military leaders use as the pretext for coups in African states — mainly corruption,
misrule and insecurity.
• Solving these problems would deny the military an excuse to interfere in civilian matters.
• Instead of cracking down on citizens and civil society, states should use their natural resources to grow their economies and empower
citizens.
• Collective economic strength will improve Africa’s standing as a global actor.
• The AU must also be firm and consistent in dealing with constitutional violations.
• Recent examples show that perpetrators simply defy calls to restore constitutional order.