The first ever Africa-India Forum Summit opened in New
Delhi yesterday with India announcing a new financial
package including a duty free tariff preference scheme
for third world countries including Zambia.
Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh said products
covered under the new scheme include copper ores,
aluminium ores, cane sugar, cotton, cocoa, cashew
nuts, ready-made garments, fish fillets and
non-industrial diamonds.
During the colourful ceremony held at the Vigyan
Bhawan International Conference Centre, Dr Singh
explained India would provide preferential market
access for exports from 50 Least Developed Countries
(LDCs) of which 34 are in Africa.
Vice-President, Rupiah Banda, South African President
Thabo Mbeki, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
President, Joseph Kabila, Tanzanias’ Jakaya Kikwete
and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni were among
African leaders at the summit.
Dr Singh said the scheme would cover 94 percent of
India’s total tariff lines and specifically grant
preferential market access on tariff lines that
comprise nearly all the global exports of third world
countries.
“We recognize the crucial importance of market access
in ensuring the development dimension of international
trade. Accordingly I am happy to announce a duty-free
tariff preference scheme on the occasion of this
summit,” Dr Singh said.
Dr Singh also said his country would over the next
five years double the $2.15 million dollars offered as
credit to Africa in concessional loans and offer
additional line of credit.
Dr Singh said India had over the past few years
acquired considerable experience in undertaking
projects in different countries in Africa through
extension of concessional line of credit given by the
EXIM Ban of India.
He said India would enhance opportunities for Africans
to pursue further studies and as an immediate measure
proposed to double long-term university scholarships
and increase the number of technical assistance
training slots by 500.
He said India would over the coming five years spend
in excess of $500 million on projects in critical
areas focusing on human resource development
The Prime Minister added that developing
infrastructure in railways, Information Technology,
telecommunications and power generation and physical
connectivity in Africa would be a priority.
He said India would in this task of developing
infrastructure get the private sector on board and
make full use of public-private partnerships.
He said India would also strengthen local capabilities
by creating regional and pan-African institutions of
higher education, especially in sciences, Information
Technology and vocational education.
Dr Singh said Africa and India were endowed with young
populations and proposed the establishment of an
India-Africa Volunteer Corps that would be devoted to
development work.
“Both India and Africa are blessed with young
populations. It is only by investing in the creative
energies of our youth that the potential of our
partnership will be fulfilled,” he said.
He suggested that the volunteer corps start on a pilot
basis and identify projects in the areas of public
health, informal education and women’s empowerment
before broadening the scope with increased experience.
Dr Singh said India and Africa should play a bigger
role in world affairs and had a chance to take charge
of their own destiny and give new meaning to the
concept of sustainable, equitable and environmentally
friendly development.
The Delhi Declaration and the Africa-India Framework
for Co-operation that the two parties plan to issue
today at the end of the summit would provide the
blueprint for India- Africa dialogue and engagement in
future.
Poor African Countries including our mother Zambia mind you china has a veto power once they develop interest in your land or your resouces you are likely to face problems, because they have powers in the UN security council, look at what happened in burma recently and people are still suffering up to date.
if we allow strong countries like india to invade our land we are likely to have similar outcomes. They have no mercy they just want to get away the little we have, as the bible says in the last days the poor will be made even poorer.
They come in a good name, in the name of bringing development, in the name of aid but the motive behind is to do medical experiments on our poor zambians, planting incurable diseases, dumping expired drugs for us to use, building shops and exploit us with their imitations of real products, exploiting our zambian workers who work in their shops by abusing them, paying them peanuts at the end of the day and many more dirty stuff, these guys are bringing problems to Africa shame.
duty free tariff preference scheme for third world countries including Zambia is a way India wants to use to get things out of Zambia and other African countries for nothing.
Wake up Zambia.
Too much opression, man! Why my poor people have to stand the pressure every time? European man came and took, Chiney man is already taking and now Coolie a come too? Dem take every ting, even we gal dem! And yet dem nuh want I fi even dance wit dem dawta in da club! Wait a while, Revolution soon come!
Tony Vincent:Dear Bro Tony, thanks for your cnmmeots and pleased be assured of our prayers in support of the great work you are doing in Zambia. Practical help is also assured from your many friends and supporters here in the UK.God BlessTony