An annual meeting of the African Development Bank (AfDB) held recently in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
Prime Minster released a vision document on the “Asia Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC)”.
What is AAGC?
It is a study jointly produced by three research institutions of India and Japan in consultation with other Asian and African think tanks.
It envisages closer engagement between India and Africa for “sustainable and innovative development”.
It will be anchored to four pillars:
Development and cooperation projects;
Quality infrastructure and institutional connectivity;
Enhancing capacities and skills and
People-to-people partnership.
It will accord priority to development projects in health and pharmaceuticals, agriculture and agro-processing, disaster management, and skill enhancement.
It will have special focus on Africa, India and South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia and Oceania.
How it is different from China’s OBOR?
The approaches of India and China towards Africa are essentially different.
China concentrates on infrastructure and cheque-book diplomacy, whereas India promotes a broader spectrum of cooperation projects and programmes focussed on the development of Africa’s human resources.
China goes solo, while India is desirous of working with other willing nations to assist Africa as per the latter’s priorities.
What should be done to make AAGC effective?
China is rapidly expanding its footprint in Africa.
So India and Japan do not have the luxury of time.
India and Japan should immediately initiate a few joint pilot projects involving the companies of India, Japan and a few African countries in identified areas such as health care, agriculture and blue economy.
They should increase the scope of their development projects, create synergy among themselves and engage proactively with other willing partners.
