The series of roundtables were hosted by Centre for New Economic Diplomacy (CNED), founded by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID). As an initiative, amongst others, CNED also aims to explore avenues through which India can partner with its immediate neighbourhood and African nations in the implementation of the SDG goals.
Promoting green technology forms the core of both India and Africa’s climate change agenda – India has placed special emphasis on climate change technology transfer in its climate pledge, and has an annual Research and Development (R and D) budget of USD 15 billion. In Africa, the African Climate Technology Center, co-created by the African Development Bank, is spearheading climate change research projects across the continent.
Additionally, India has signed agreements with South Africa, Tunisia, Egypt and Mauritius, funding 74 joint projects which address common development goals including renewable energy and agriculture.
- ICRISAT has established agri-business incubators and value-chain incubators in five African countries viz. Angola, Cameroon, Ghana, Mali and Uganda by partnering with local bodies.
- ILRI focuses on reducing poverty and improving food security in African countries through more sustainable use of livestock. It has ongoing India-Africa programmes in Mozambique, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Kenya.
Given that less that 10% of the African farmers use high yielding varieties of crops, production of good quality seeds is a major challenge for most African countries. The National Seed Association of India is partnering with the Syngenta Foundation India in the "India-Africa Seeds Bridge" project. This project aims to develop the seed system in Africa by providing better seeds to African farmers and creating a market for Indian seed companies .
In addition to these initiatives, India has also committed to providing 25 PhD and 50 Masters Scholarships per year to African students.
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