Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday hard-sold his development agenda and policies to African leaders at the 52nd annual meeting of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group at Mahatma Mandir here.

Addressing delegates from 80 African countries, Modi emphasised on strong and long-lasting cooperation between Africa and India to achieve mutually beneficial goals. While India and Africa face the similar challenges of uplifting farmers, addressing poverty issues, women empowerment, rural development and infrastructure, India can help in some areas, he said.

On the skill development front, Modi said the training of ‘Solar Mamas’ in Africa has yielded dual outcomes. (A group of nearly 30 rural women solar engineers from six African countries were trained under India’s developmental support for harnessing solar energy).

Training the African women to work on solar panels and circuits helped them to electrify their communities back home. It also led to the empowerment of illiterate or semi-literate women through other skills, like basket making, bee keeping, and kitchen gardening during their stay here, Modi said.

“I have launched an initiative to double farmers’ incomes by 2022. It will require concerted steps, ranging from improved seeds and optimal inputs to reduced crop losses and better marketing infrastructure,” he told the gathering.

Modi further listed the macroeconomic achievements of his government over the past three years.

Bold reforms

The PM credited his government for making big strides in development by adopting bold reforms — such as a less-cash economy, mobile banking, plugging the leaks in subsidy distribution through direct benefit transfer, Jan Dhan Yojana or universal banking and Aadhaar.

Africa, which has a population of about 650 million without electricity, can look up to India in achieving power for all, he said. “By next year, no village in India will be without electricity. Our Clean Ganga, Renewable Energy, Digital India, Smart Cities, Housing for All and Skill India missions are preparing us for a cleaner, more prosperous, faster growing and modern new India,” Modi said.

Referring to the ages-old cooperation and association between India and the African continent in social, cultural and business areas, Modi assured the African leaders of India’s continued support in achieving the key goals in the areas of agriculture, infrastructure, power and industry.

“Over decades, our ties have become stronger. After assuming office in 2014, I have made Africa a top priority for India’s foreign and economic policy,” he said.

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