New Delhi [India], October 9 (ANI): The partnership between India and Africa is very critical for the growth of India as well as the Global South and President Droupadi Murmu's upcoming state visit to three African nations demonstrates New Delhi's commitment to further its relations with the region, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Wednesday.

President Murmu will visit Algeria, Mauritania and Malawi from October 13-19. Notably, this will be the first-ever visit by an Indian Head of State to these three African nations.

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MEA Secretary (Economic Relations) Dammu Ravi said that the importance of the visit has to be seen as Africa as a continent and how India engages itself in making a strong partnership with the continent. He added that the visit came during the time when the African Union was given a permanent seat in the G20 under India's presidency in 2023.

"It is coming at a time when the African Union has been made a permanent member of the G20 during India's presidency last year. Africa is the core of the global south, as the PM had been driving the agenda. Voice of the Global South has been done with the agenda of development. We believe that partnerships with Africa are very important and critical for our own growth and the growth of the global south," MEA Secy said in a press briefing today.

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It is pertinent to note that the African Union became the 21st member of the G20 during the New Delhi Summit in 2023. Prime Minister Modi had advocated for African Union's inclusion in the grouping.

He mentioned that the presence of 33.2 million Indian diaspora is another reason for the partnership and asserted the growth of the strong economic partnership between both regions. He said that trade between India and Africa has been close to USD 100 billion, with investments close to USD 70 to 80 billion.

"Another reason for the partnership is the diverse issues, one of which is the Indian diaspora in Africa. 33.2 million Indian diaspora is present in Africa. The economic partnership between India and Africa is growing, with trade being close to USD 100 billion annually and with investments close to USD 70 to 80 billion dollars. The development partnership is a very important component of our relationship with Africa in lines of credits, grants and capacity building, as well as critical minerals," Ravi said.

"In the context of the African Union becoming a permanent member of the G20, we need to work closely with the African Union to drive the agenda of development globally and also in the UN. The president's visit demonstrated our commitment to strengthen our relations with Africa even deeper," the MEA Secy added.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting Laos from October 10-11, where he is set to attend the 21st ASEAN-India Summit and the 19th East Asia Summit, being hosted by Laos, which is the current Chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

"The State Visit by President Murmu to Algeria, Mauritania and Malawi is reflective of India's deep desire to strengthen its partnership with countries in Africa. It comes a year after the African Union was made a permanent member of G 20 during India's Presidency," the MEA added. (ANI)

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