Index Issues Motivating for Choice of Study Current Situation (2010-Present) Trade and Investment Conflict Resolution Works Cited Issues Motivating for Choice of Study Geopolitical Support from African Countries is Important for India's goal of getting a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council Africa offers a space to showcase both India's soft power and hard power. India has been actively involved in the peace and stability of African countries through United Nations peacekeeping operations. India is involved in capacity building of African countries. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Africa is also the largest beneficiary of India's ITEC program. Economic Africa can help us diversify our energy sources, which is one of the stated objectives of our integrated energy policy. Africa also contains rich reserves of minerals and precious metals, including gold and diamonds. Africa offers space for Indian investment Africa has ample agricultural land that can ensure India's food security. India is considering leasing land in Africa to overcome the land deficit we face in terms of arable land. Africa is critical to India's security, especially the Horn of Africa region, due to its proximity to India. The threat of radicalism, piracy and organized crime emerges from this region. Zvichanzi Nyemba, Mervis Zungura and Lawrence Mhandara (2013) India – Africa trade relations date back to the pre-colonial period during the mid-first century, when ancient India began trading with the Kingdom of Aksum. Relations with Africa consolidated during the Cold War period, with India being instrumental in the formation of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). In the post-Cold War period, India-Africa relations have been governed by a mutual interest in trade and investment echoed in the rhetoric of South-South cooperation. India, amidst stiff competition from BRICS, especially China and the West, has registered its presence in mineral and oil-rich Africa. In 2002-2003, India launched the Focus Africa program to enhance its trade with Africa with more than 25 African countries, including Zimbabwe. Trade relations between India and Zimbabwe began in the 14th century during the reign of Munhumutapa, when Indian merchants established ties with the country, trading in textiles and minerals. Into the 21st century, Zimbabwe and India have continued to trade minerals, textiles and pharmaceuticals. This article, therefore, seeks to analyze the nature and extent of trade relations between India and Zimbabwe. Anushree Paul (IRC-2013) Indian companies are entering the African domain largely driven by market and resource-seeking motivations that promote potential forward and backward linkages. Indian FDI to Africa is concentrated in the primary commodity market in oil, gas and mining. In the manufacturing sector there is a predominance of automotive and pharmaceutical companies. Most Indian FDI into African countries occurs through greenfield investments and joint ventures desired by host countries for their contribution in creating new production capacity and employment generation, technology transfer, etc. The identified factors that motivate Indian investors to invest in Africa are the socio-cultural policies, ofhost country, regional integration agreements, bilateral investment treaties, gross domestic product growth, etc. Language, culture and diaspora presence also play a significant role in attracting foreign direct investment to African countries. The India-Africa relationship exists and functions at these multilateral levels which include trade convergence. India is becoming an increasingly important economic partner for African countries. Its ties with Africa can be traced to a strong and shared history based on the principles of South-South cooperation, people-to-people linkages and common development challenges. The third summit of the India-Africa Forum, which will take place in October 2015, will further strengthen ties between India and Africa. This chapter examines trade relations between India and African countries as a resource for accelerating development cooperation in the context of globalization. It will seek to examine the strength and uniqueness of the historical foundation of the current Indo-Africa partnership in the twenty-first century. India and Africa have shared a multidimensional relationship since ancient times. Geographic proximity and an easily navigable Indian Ocean have brought the populations of the two regions closer together. During the colonial period, immediately after the conquest of Africa and the restructuring of the African economy, the free and voluntary relations of the past gave way to colonial needs and preferences. Relations between India and the sovereign states of Africa were formally established when both sides gained independence. Current Situation (2010-present) India has taken a number of initiatives over the past decade to facilitate economic relations between the two regions. The Indian government launched the “Focus Africa” program in 2002 with the aim of strengthening trade ties with African countries. The program extends almost across the entire African continent and the primary objective is to increase interaction by identifying potential areas for bilateral trade and investment. An important initiative of India in recent years has been the India-Africa Forum summit, held since 2008. The third India-Africa Forum summit was held in New Delhi in October 2015. The summit brought to India 41 African heads of state and government. with the aim of strengthening friendship and commitment between the two regions. In 2009, India launched the Pan African e-Network Project (PAENP), the brainchild of former Indian President, APJ Abdul Kalam. The project, with a budget of around $125 million, is fully funded by India and aims to provide satellite connectivity, teleeducation and telemedicine services to African countries. It also supports e-commerce, e-governance, infotainment, asset mapping and various other services. The project has currently been commissioned in 47 countries. Additionally, India has also created lines of credit to develop projects in the region. Trade between India and Africa over the past decade Total trade between India and Africa increased nearly five-fold between 2005-2006 and 2015-2016, standing at $52 billion in March 2016-2017. Indian exports to Africa increased from $14 billion in 2007-2008 to $23 billion in 2016-2017 (Figure 1), registering an impressive compound annual growth rate of 5.6%. Indian exports to Africa peaked in 2014-15 at $32 billion. Indian imports from Africa, on the other hand, increased from $20 billion in 2007-2008 to $28 billion in 2016-2017, accounting for 7.5% of India's total imports. India's imports from Africa grew at a compound annual growth rate of about 4 percent,reaching the maximum in 2011-2012 equal to 44 billion dollars. The estimated value of imports from Nigeria to India amounted to $7.7 billion in March 2017, making it the largest source of imports for India. Nigeria accounts for about 26% of India's total imports. Other major importing countries from Africa include South Africa, Angola, Ghana and Botswana. These African countries together account for about 40% of India's total imports from Africa. Major export items During April-February 2016-2017, India's major export to Africa was petroleum products, which accounted for about 17% of the total. (Other major export items included pharmaceuticals, vehicles other than railways or trams, machinery and equipment, and grains. Major import items Among the major imports from Africa to India, petroleum products dominated India's import basket during April-February 2016-17, with a significant share of 52% of India's total imports from Africa Other major imported items include gems and jewellery, edible fruits and nuts, inorganic chemicals and organic/inorganic compounds, copper and articles. India's investment relations with Africa In addition to trade, India has also undertaken major investment initiatives to strengthen its strategic partnership with Africa in Africa Major investors include Indian multinationals (MNEs), Indian construction and telecommunications companies and several automotive industry majors. These investors have participated in different sectors including telecom, energy, IT services, energy, automobile, infrastructure, etc. in Africa. Cumulative investments approved by India to Africa amounted to $54 billion in the period between April 1996 and March 2016. Among African nations, Mauritius is the leading country in terms of receiving the highest FDI inflows, followed by Mozambique , Sudan, Egypt and South Africa. In addition to numerous investments in the various sectors mentioned above, Exim Bank of India has outstanding lines of credit (LOC) extended to a number of institutions/agencies in Africa. The total number of operational LOCs in Africa stood at 154 as of 31 December 2016, representing a total of US$7.7 billion across 44 countries. CII Initiatives CII has been undertaking multi-dimensional initiatives for several years to strengthen ties between India and Africa. The CII Africa Committee leads initiatives to improve skills development and capacity building in African nations. These include providing scholarships and internships to African students in India, conducting training programs for industrial services, technology and innovation, and ongoing interactive sessions to share information on research and finance options available to traders and investors. To promote trade and investment, CII works closely with the Government of India and organizes business seminars and international trade delegations to Africa to share information and spread awareness about the benefits of partnership with India. Another important aspect of CII's engagement with Africa is the CII-EXIM Bank Conclave on India Africa Project Partnership, which CII has been organizing since 2005 with the aim of strengthening the India-Africa partnership. The CII also organizes regional conclaves and 13 regional conclaves have been hosted in Africa so far. Furthermore, African nations actively participate in the international investors' meeting, "The Partnership Summit", organized annually by CII, in association with the Ministry of Trade and”