FOR A NEW glObAl ORdERCheick Sidi Diarra

United Nations Under-Secretary general and UN Special Advisor on Africa

The global economy isundergoing dramatic changesand its centre of gravity isshifting towards the East and

the South. The economic rise of brazil,China, India, South Africa, Turkey andother emerging economies and theresurgence of Africa are creating amultipolar world economy that requires arebalanced global governancearchitecture. India and Africa, tiedtogether by strong historical bonds andincreasingly close political and economicrelations, are two of the major playersthat could shape our global future, andcan only benefit from cooperating closelyin advocating for a multilateral anddemocratic global governance regime.

Relations between India and Africa dateback many centuries. Traders hadcrossed the Indian Ocean at least sincethe first century, and the expansion ofthe European empires, particularly thebritish, saw Indian immigrants resettledalong the eastern coast of Africa. duringdecolonisation, India offered its solidarity

to Africa in its struggle for independence.The relationship has further deepened inrecent years, reflecting the increasingeconomic interaction between the tworising powers.

In this new global environment, Africancountries have taken the lead in settingthe continent on a path of sustainableeconomic and social progress. TheAfrican renaissance manifested itself inthe launch of the New Partnership forAfrica’s development in July 2001. ThisAfrica-owned and Africa-led vision allowsAfrican countries to take full control oftheir development agenda, to cooperatemore effectively with their internationalpartners, and to claim a fair role in theglobal arena.

greater unity and closer cooperationhave allowed Africa to take this initiative,and its concerns and views have beenprogressively taken into consideration inthe global agenda as a result. It hasforged a common position on UNreforms, calling for more representation

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Relations between India and Africa date back manycenturies. Traders had crossed the Indian Ocean at leastsince the first century, and the expansion of the Europeanempires, particularly the british, saw Indian immigrantsresettled along the eastern coast of Africa. duringdecolonisation, India offered its solidarity to Africa in itsstruggle for independence. The relationship has furtherdeepened in recent years, reflecting the increasing economicinteraction between the two rising powers

(Top) Ahmed Sekou Toure, former President of Guinea, with Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, in New Delhi, 1960.

(Right) A view of central Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

(Left) A panoramic view of Cape Town, South Africa, withthe Table Mountain in the background.

(Top) A bustling market in Conakry, Guinea.

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of the continent and other regions on theSecurity Council, and has developed acommon position on climate change andthe Millennium development goals. Inaddition, a series of global and bilateralpartnerships involving the continentwere established to address developmentand financing issues.

Along with the African renewalmovement, African economies haveexpanded gradually. gdP growth ratesreached nearly 6 percent per annumduring the first eight years of the newmillennium, almost matching India’s andChina’s growth performance. One keyaspect of Africa’s recent resurgence,which differentiates it from the oil boomof the 1970s, is the greater stability inthe political and macro-economic climate,accompanied by structural reforms.These efforts have allowed Africaneconomies to grow in a more peacefuland secure environment, a necessaryprecondition for socio-economicdevelopment. As a result, Africaneconomies have shown resilience duringthe recent global economic crisis,growing by about 2 percent in 2009 andan estimated 5 percent in 2010 and thusrecovering faster than the global economy. This performance is even morestriking when compared to the lostdecades of the 1980s and 1990s duringwhich real gdP per capita fell by 42.5percent, according to some estimates.

Prudent macro-economic policies havealso allowed African economies to take advantage of a combination of favourableexternal factors, including highcommodity prices, foreign directinvestment, sustained aid, debt relief andremittances. All of these factors are at

least partly attributable to the rise ofemerging economies and the dynamismthey have brought to the world economy.The resulting growth in Africa, however,has not been driven only by commodityexports, but also by an expansion inservices such as wholesale and retailtrade, banking, telecommunications,tourism, and construction.

Against this background, Africa’s growthand India’s simultaneous rise has led to adramatic increase in trade relationsbetween the two regions. India’s exportsto Africa, only $1.5 billion in 1995,reached a historic high of $45 billion in2010. While Indian imports from Africahave also surged, particularly in the veryrecent past, they remain dominated bycommodities, and are also much moregeographically concentrated. Nigeria,South Africa, Egypt and Angola accountfor more than two-thirds of all importsfrom the continent.

India’s cooperation with Africa has notonly focused on trade, but alsotechnology transfer, capacity buildingand human resource development. Thisexemplary partnership, formalised in theAfrica-India Framework for Cooperationadopted during the first ever Africa-IndiaForum Summit in New delhi in 2008, isbased on the principles of mutual benefitand solidarity of the South-South cooperation. As they face similarchallenges, the two economies can shareexperiences in agriculture and industry,education, health and poverty alleviation,and good governance and democracy toenormous mutual benefit.

Today, Africa positions itself as a keypartner in the global arena, its collective

India’s cooperation with Africa has not onlyfocused on trade, but also technology transfer,capacity building and human resource development

(Top) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with South Africa’s President Jacob Zumaand his wife, Nompumelelo Ntuli Zuma, along with India’s President Pratibha Patil,during Zuma’s visit to India in June 2010.

(Overleaf ) Ruins of the majestic Temple of Luxor, Egypt.

(Left) State Bank in Port Louis, Mauritius.

(Top) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Brazil’s former President Lula da Silva, and South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma at the IBSA Summit in Brasilia, 2010.

(Below) The Piazza Verde in Tripoli, Libya.

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gdP of more than $1 trillion beingroughly equal to brazil’s or Russia’s in2008. The continent is now home tomore than a billion inhabitants, offeringgreat market potential, thanks to the increasing purchasing power of itsconsumers. African economies offerhigher rates of returns on investmentsthan any other developing region. Africais also immensely rich in natural resources, energy and minerals, carries60 percent of the world’s uncultivatedarable land, and has a young and dynamic population. The continent thusoffers promising long-term sustainablegrowth prospects which would be further enhanced by a deeper integration of Africa into the globaleconomy and the global governancesystem. Africa needs the world and the world needs Africa.

Meanwhile, the impressive economic riseof emerging powers, including India, andof other middle-income countries likeSouth Africa, has transformed the globalenvironment, leading to a multipolarworld. This geopolitical shift in economicinfluence and power calls for a moreinclusive and balanced globalgovernance. Moreover, the recent globaleconomic and financial crisis has given anew impetus to more coordinated andinclusive global responses, asdemonstrated by the emergence of the g-20 on the world stage. Climate changeis another developmental challenge thatcan only be addressed by inclusive and coordinated action at the global level.

Consequently, it is more important thanever to hear the voices and take into account the concerns of all stakeholders

and members of the global community.Africa and India are facing similarimpediments and a shared destiny, andthus need to work together to addressthese global challenges and improve thewell-being of their peoples and societiesaround the world. This cooperation canonly effectively take place in amultilateral and democratic setting, andthe UN remains the best available arenato pursue the joint goals.

Africa and India have already taken stepsto participate more effectively thanbefore by voicing their concerns and byinfluencing the global economic policycoordination efforts during the g-20summits to address the consequences ofthe global financial and economic crises.Alongside this endeavour, the expansionof South-South cooperation betweenAfrica and its emerging developmentpartners, including India, contributed tothe economic recovery of the continentfrom the crisis, on the one hand, and tothe strengthening of Africa’s position inthe global order on the other. India and other emerging countries shouldcontinue to lead the change ofperception about the African continentand make it more attractive to foreigninvestments.

In the context of the global governancearchitecture, Africa and India should stepup their cooperation in order to influencethe international agenda. Their shared interests will allow them to ensure thatvoices and concerns of the mostvulnerable are taken into account andthat global governance carries a holistic long-term vision of sustainabledevelopment.

(Top) A freight train crosses Namib Desert. Namibia is seeking tobecome a regional transportation hub.

(Left) Waterfront in Alexandria, Egypt.

The exemplary partnership between India and Africa, formalised in the Framework for Cooperationadopted during the first Forum Summit in New delhiin 2008, is based on the principles of mutual benefitand solidarity of South-South cooperation