India to support African nations in all defence-related matters: Rajnath Singh

New Delhi, Mar 29 (Representative) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday reiterated India’s commitment to provide support to African partner nations in all defence-related matters, including capability enhancement of their Armed Forces, to ensure their economic growth and social development.In his address during the first edition of the India-Africa Army Chiefs’ Conclave in Pune, he said India will continue to work with African nations to promote regional security. The Conclave, organised on the sidelines of 2nd Africa-India Joint Exercise ‘AFINDEX’ in Pune, was attended by Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Pande and Chiefs and representatives of 31 African nations, along with other civil and defence dignitaries. He emphasised that the full potential of a nation’s progress can be realised only when its security is ensured, an official statement said. “We believe that preservation of individual human rights such as the right to life and personal liberty, right to employment, right to livelihood, etc. are dependent on a strong and effective state apparatus which can ensure the Rule of Law as well as promote economic growth & social development. Development can only take place in a safe and secure environment. Though many of us have come a long way since our independence, there are many African countries where the capacity building of state systems is still a work in progress,” he said, while emphasising the need to build robust state structures which can cater to the needs and aspirations of the people.

India has been at the forefront of providing training to the Armed Forces of African nations and equipping them with necessary skills to face the security challenges of the 21st century. The training programmes cover a wide range of areas, including counter-insurgency operations, peacekeeping, maritime security and specialised training in new domains such as cyber warfare and drone operations. It also encompasses training civilians in areas such as disaster management, humanitarian aid and medical assistance. A large number of African Countries’ Armed Forces personnel continue to visit India for training in different areas.Rajnath Singh also said that the Joint Exercises between India and African nations provide an excellent opportunity for the Armed Forces to learn from each other and promote interoperability. He termed ‘AFINDEX’ as a reflection of India’s continued focus on African nations to develop capacities and enhance mutual capabilities. “As maritime neighbours linked by the Indian Ocean, our cooperation in maritime security and hydrography and countering terrorism and extremism will be essential for regional peace and prosperity,” he added.

He described capacity building in terms of defence equipment and platforms as another critical aspect of India’s military cooperation with its Africa partners. He invited the African countries to explore Indian defence equipment and technologies to fulfill their security needs. “India has emerged as a leading defence exporter in recent years. A defence manufacturing ecosystem has been created here which has the advantage of abundant technical manpower. The Indian defence industry can work with you to fulfil your defence requirements. With the aim to empower our African friends to indigenously meet their defence requirements, we are also committed to sharing our expertise and knowledge in defence manufacturing, research and development,” Singh said.Elaborating further on the India-Africa ties, the Raksha Mantri stated that “we are united by the common goals of eradicating poverty, achieving sustainable development, promoting peace & harmony and improving the quality of life of the people.” He added that this partnership drives the South-South cooperation to build a truly multi-polar world order which is more responsive to the aspirations of developing countries.The Defence Minister pointed out that the people of India and Africa together represent a third of humanity, a demographic dividend which has to be used wisely. He called for turning this huge human resource into an engine of growth and development. “Many African nations have the fastest rate of growth of population in the world. As per some projections, by 2050, there would be one African, out of every four people in the world.

Therefore, if humanity has to develop, Africa has to develop. Today, Africa is today home to more than a billion vibrant people, with more than two thirds of them under the age of 35. If this human capital is supported with the right opportunities, it will become the growth engine for not just Africa, but also for the entire world,” he added.The India-Africa Army Chiefs’ Conclave was structured on the central theme of ‘Africa-India Militaries for Regional Unity – AMRUT’. It was aimed to strengthen and improve synergy between militaries of India and African nations as part of regional cooperation mechanism.The Conclave focused on joint training and defence cooperation amongst the nations to evolve an institutionalised framework in order to enhance collaboration in the fields of joint military training, execution of peacekeeping operations; besides promoting Indian defence industries. It is a major landmark in deep-rooted defence ties between India and African nations, thereby enhancing regional cooperation, the statement said.