Pune: India will continue to work with African nations to enhance defence capabilities, says Defence Minister at 1st India-Africa Army Chiefs’ Conclave

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said that India will continue to work with African nations to promote regional security foster stability and enhance the defence capabilities togetherHe was speaking during the first edition of IndiaAfrica Army Chiefsrsquo Conclave organised on the sidelines of 2nd AfricaIndia Joint Exercise lsquoAFINDEXrsquo in Pune Maharashtra on March 28 2023 The Conclave was attended by Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Pande and Chiefs amp representatives of 31 African nations along with other civil and defence dignitariesSingh reiterated Indiarsquos commitment to provide support to African partnercountries in all defence related matters including capability enhancement of their Armed Forces to ensure their economic growth and social development He emphasised that the full potential of a nationrsquos progress can be realised only when its security is ensuredldquoWe 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 amp 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 progressrdquo the Defence Minister said while emphasising the need to build robust state structures which can cater to the needs and aspirations of the peopleIndia 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 counterinsurgency 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 Countriesrsquo Armed Forces personnel continue to visit India for training in different areasHe added 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 lsquoAFINDEXrsquo as a reflection of Indiarsquos continued focus on African nations to develop capacities and enhance mutual capabilities ldquoAs maritime neighbours linked by the Indian Ocean our cooperation in maritime security amp hydrography and countering terrorism amp extremism will be essential for regional peace and prosperityrdquo he saidSingh described capacity building in terms of defence equipment and platforms as another critical aspect of Indiarsquos military cooperation with its Africa partners He invited the African countries to explore Indian defence equipment and technologies to fulfill their security needs ldquoIndia 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 developmentrdquo he saidAlso readIndia using money laundering laws to harass media and NGOrsquos Amnesty International reportElaborating further on the IndiaAfrica ties the Defence Minister stated that ldquowe are united by the common goals of eradicating poverty achieving sustainable development promoting peace amp harmony and improving the quality of life of the peoplerdquo He added that this partnership drives the SouthSouth cooperation to build a truly multipolar world order which is more responsive to the aspirations of developing countriesSingh 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 ldquoMany 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 worldrdquo he addedHe described relative technological backwardness as one of the most important causes holding the developing world from high economic growth rates Stating that new and emerging technologies provide an opportunity to leapfrog this gap he extended Indiarsquos expertise in digital and clean amp green technologies for the benefit of African nations He made special mention of Indiarsquos achievement of financial inclusion of the entire citizenry through Unified Payment Interface UPI describing it as a Financial Revolution He also stressed that the exchange of ideas and practices will be twoway and India is keen to learn from the experiences of its African friendsThe IndiaAfrica Army Chiefsrsquo Conclave was structured on the central theme of lsquoAfricaIndia Militaries for Regional Unity ndash AMRUTrsquo It was aimed to strengthen and improve synergy between militaries of India and African nations as part of regional cooperation mechanismThe Conclave focussed 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 deeprooted defence ties between India and African nations thereby enhancing regional cooperation