Focus on Africa : The Heart of the Global South.

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

29 Dec, 2022

NEWS HIGHLIGHT

Theme : International Relations
Paper:GS - 2

India, through the G20 presidency, intends to be remembered as the voice of the Global South at the heart of which is Africa.

TABLE OF CONTENT

Context : India, through the G20 presidency, intends to be remembered as the voice of the Global South at the heart of which is Africa.

Global South :

The Global South is a term often used to identify regions within Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania.
It is one of a family of terms, including “Third World” and “Periphery“, that denote regions outside Europe and North America.
Economies not fully developed: Global South is used to describe countries whose economies are not yet fully developed and which face challenges such as low per capita income, excessive unemployment, and a lack of valuable capital.
Located in tropics: Although the majority of Global South countries are indeed located in the tropics or Southern Hemisphere, the term itself is strictly economic.
Australia is “down under” but not part of the Global South.

Importance of Africa :

Africa is home to over half a dozen of the fastest growing countries of this decade such as Rwanda, Senegal, and Tanzania etc making it one of the growth poles of the world.
Real GDP in Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa in the past decade has grown by more than twice the rate in the 1980s and 90's.
The African continent has a population of over one billion with a combined GDP of 2.5 trillion dollars making it a huge potential market.
Africa is a resource rich nation dominated by commodities like crude oil, gas, pulses and lentils, leather, gold and other metals, all of which India lacks in sufficient quantities.
India is seeking diversification of its oil supplies away from the Middle East and Africa can play an important role in India’s energy matrix.

Washington Summit :

The second S.-Africa summit was held in Washington.
The leaders of 49 countries and the chair of the African Union (AU) participated from Africa.

Important discussion of the Summit:

US declaration during the summit:

African voices, leadership and innovation are “all critical to addressing the most pressing global challenges” and realizing the vision of a free, open, prosperous and secure world.
The U.S. is “all in on Africa and all in with Africa.

Decisions taken during the summit:

Support for G20: The U.S announced its support for the AU to join the G20 as a permanent member.
Fully supports” reforming the UN Security Council (UNSC) to include permanent representation for Africa.
A promise for the president and the vice president to visit Africa next year.

US Presence in Africa :

Investments and initiatives: $21 billion to the IMF to provide access to necessary financing for low-and middle-income countries
$10 million for a pilot programme to boost the security capacity of its African partners.
The administration indicated that it planned to invest $55 billion in Africa over the next three years.

China Presence in Africa :

It has emerged as the largest trading partner and the fourth largest investor in the African continent, ahead of the U.S
China-Africa trade exchanges stood at $254 billion.
China’s total investment in Africa of $4 billion in 2020.
Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Estb in October 2000.

India-Africa :

As a full member of African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), India has pledged $1 million towards ACBF’s sustainable development, poverty alleviation, and capacity building initiative.
India has invested $100 million in the Pan-African E-Network to bridge the digital divide in Africa, leveraging its strengths in information technology.
Indian military academies offer training to military officers from a number of African states.
India has also unveiled the Vision Document of the Asian Africa Growth Corridor which is jointly prepared by Indian and Japanese think tanks.
The corridor will focus on Developing Cooperation Projects, Quality Infrastructure and Institutional Connectivity, skill enhancement, and People-to-People Partnership.
India postulates that its partnership with Africa is an amalgam of development priorities in keeping with the African Union’s long term plan and the Africa Agenda 2063, as well as India’s development objectives.

Road Ahead :

To truly represent the South: It is essential to grasp the mood and changes in Africa, especially in its external partnerships.
This will determine the contribution India can make to advance the African agenda.
The outcome of the S.-Africa Leaders’ Summit needs a critical examination.
FOCAC: nations can take a cue from the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC): established in October 2000.
The FOCAC is composed of ministers and leaders of Africa and China who meet once in three years, alternately in Beijing and an African capital.
India’s equity in Africa is older and richer than that of China and the U.S., but that should not be a source of uncritical satisfaction.
Political and economic partnership: India has striven hard to strengthen its political and economic partnership with Africa at the continental, regional and bilateral levels.The government created a special momentum in arranging high-level exchanges and forging cooperation initiatives during the 2015-19 period.
The G20 presidency: It is India’s opportunity to ensure that the AU becomes a permanent member of this grouping and to firmly reflect Africa’s Agenda 2063 for development.
The fourth India-Africa Forum Summit should be held in early 2024, lest the third summit held in 2015 becomes a distant memory.

FAQs :

ANS.

The Global South is a term often used to identify regions within Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania.
It is one of a family of terms, including “Third World” and “Periphery“, that denote regions outside Europe and North America.

ANS. The FOCAC is composed of ministers and leaders of Africa and China who meet once in three years, alternately in Beijing and an African capital.