Abidjan, Oct 8 (IANS): Emphasising the importance of India’s development cooperation with Africa, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar said that New Delhi’s approach has been guided by the needs and priorities of its African partners.
Addressing alumni of the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme at Cote d’Ivoire, EAM Jaishankar referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s articulation of the Kampala principles eight years ago, saying they had set out the approach guiding India’s engagement with Africa.
“Where Africa is concerned, development partnership has always been central to our engagement, and we have taken a view that what we do in India should respond to the demands and priorities of our African partners. In fact, this was the central message some years ago when Prime Minister Modi, eight years ago, articulated what were called the Kampala principles of our engagement with Africa,” the EAM said.
“And in that priority, in that demand, ITEC is very important because it is a vehicle to share our developmental experiences, our security experiences, our governance experiences, best practices, to also discuss technology and expertise together and equally, I must tell this to all of you: to also learn from the incoming people from the partner countries because every institution that you have gone to has also benefited from your presence up there,” he noted.
EAM Jaishankar highlighted that this year marks the 62nd year of the ITEC programme, which began in 1964 and has evolved into one of India’s most important platforms for capacity building and engagement with other countries.
He said the programme now extends to more than 160 partner countries and offers nearly 10,000 fully funded training opportunities every year across a wide range of disciplines.
“ITEC today encompasses a very wide range of domains from ICT and digital governance, public administration, banking, finance, agriculture, energy, skill development, but also to defence, to security, to countering terrorism. So, the whole idea really is to develop a comprehensive package so that the entirety of the requirements of our partner countries can be addressed through that programme,” the EAM mentioned.
Highlighting the longstanding and friendly relations between India and Cote d’Ivoire, EAM Jaishankar said that capacity building has been an important pillar of the relationship, with around 800 ITEC slots utilised by the African country over the last 12 years.
He stressed that this represents a substantial investment in human resources and, more importantly, in building a long-term relationship between the two countries.
“Today, we are proud to record that I think on the defence side, there are 123 slots which are committed and on the civilian side, 100. I cannot tell you the importance that we attach to these regular exchanges because at the end of the day, assets may be created, people may visit each other, but the human connection, the emotions, the experiences, the memories, the connect which we build through these courses, these are really the capital for a relationship,” EAM stated.
“Cote d’Ivoire itself, for us, we regard it as one of the key partners in West Africa, and we again are very supportive of your continued economic growth, of your governance transformation and of the security and defence goals that you have set for yourself,” he added.
The External Affairs Minister emphasised that India is a reliable partner in meeting Cote d’Ivoire’s requirements, noting that the capacity-building support extended through ITEC would contribute to the African nation’s efforts to develop its human capital and acquire the requisite skills for a transforming economy and good governance.
