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The relationship between Africa and India predates European Colonisation and goes back to the earliest accounts of the Indian presence on the eastern coast of Africa recorded in the periplus of the Erythraean Sea, written in the first century AD.
Through this and other writings, it is evident that Indian merchants had been plying their trade in southern Arabia situated in the eastern part of the Horn of Africa or the Somali Peninsula as well as along the Indian ocean coast since ancient times.
Droupadi Murmu
In relatively recent times, organised migration from India was done by the British Government in its quest to expand their empire into Africa notably Eastern and Southern Africa.
In 2011, the Indian Government recognised Africa as the growth pole of the world. Since then, India has shown faith in Africa through expansion of trade. In return, Africa has backed the politics of India in global forums and has allowed for new export markets from India.
Today, Africans of Asian Origin are between three and five million spread across 46 countries on the continent cementing cultural and trade relations in excess of $200 billion (about K350 trillion).
Hence, the coming of Indian President Droupadi Murmu to Malawi is not ordinary news.
India remains the fastest-growing major economy growing at a rapid clip of 8.2 percent in the financial year 2023/24.
Growth has also been registered in public infrastructure investment and an upswing in household investments in real estate. On the supply side, it has witnessed a buoyant manufacturing sector, which grew by 9.9 percent.
These are the sort of partners we want for long term economic growth therefore important for the two countries to bond into long term economic growth opportunities.
Apart from discussing debt restructuring and currency swaps, the visit must unlock opportunities leading to possible signing of the following important agreements:
lDouble Taxation Treaty
lInvestment Protection Protocol
lOpening of the first African College Campus of The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT- Delhi or Mumbai).
A pride of global analysts have declared India as the next great economic power: Goldman Sachs has predicted it will become the world’s second-largest economy by 2075, and the Financial Times’ Martin Wolf suggests that by 2050, its purchasing power will be 30 percent larger than the United states of America.
Let me add that if they can entice the Indian Government on the establishment of the Indian Institute of Technology- Africa College Campus, I will provide 50 hectares of land to the cause.
Other opportunities to be explored could include but not limited to possible internship visas for Indian recent graduates in maths, engineering, electronics, computer science and physics from Indian universities to have practical experience in their field of study for up to 12 months in both private and public sectors.
This will not only increase the knowledge transfers into our youth. Economically, it will increase traffic between India and Malawi leading to introducing airline travels between the two countries.
Investments must also include hospitals but in special economic zones. This is the opportunity waiting to be unlocked with the visiting of India’s Head of State this week.
* Bright Malopa is an entrepreneur, consultant and former Malawi Broadcasting Corporation director-general.
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