Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today that India will strengthen its cooperation and mutual capabilities with Africa in combating terrorism and extremism.

Addressing Uganda Parliament, Modi said that India’s engagement with Africa will continue to be guided by 10 principles. He said that India is proud to be Africa’s partner and Uganda is central in this on the African continent.

He stressed that engagement with Africa was a top priority for India. "We will continue to intensify and deepen our engagement with Africa. As we have shown, it will be sustained and regular, he said. This engagement would be on the African continent's, he said, adding that the focus will be on local capacity building and optimising opportunities for the people of Africa. "We will keep our markets open and make it easier and more attractive to trade with India. We will support our industry to invest in Africa," he said.

Modi promised to support and build digital infrastructure, improve agriculture as well as take on the challenges of climate change. "We will harness India’s experience with digital revolution to support Africa’s development; improve delivery of public services; extend education and health; spread digital literacy; expand financial inclusion; and mainstream the marginalised," Modi said.

The Indian Prime Minister extended support in the defence sector. He offered cooperation to strengthen mutual capabilities in "combating terrorism and extremism".

He told that India will support the UN in advancing and keeping peace in the region. "We will work with African nations to keep the oceans open and free for the benefit of all nations. The world needs cooperation and not competition in the eastern shores of Africa and the eastern Indian Ocean," he said.

"Just as India and Africa fought colonialism together, we will work together for a just, representative and democratic global order that has a voice and a role for one-third of humanity that lives in Africa and India," he added.

"As global engagement in Africa increases, we must all work together to ensure that Africa does not once again turn into a theatre of rival ambitions, but becomes a nursery for the aspirations of Africa's youth," the  Prime Minister said.

 

Africa would be at the top of India’s priorities, Modi said in his address, the first by an Indian Prime Minister to Parliament of Uganda. “We will continue to intensify and deepen our engagement with Africa. As we have shown, it will be sustained and regular,” he said.

 

Modi announced that India would build a Gandhi Heritage Centre at the sacred site in Uganda’s Jinja, where a statue of Mahatma Gandhi now stands.

“Our people are among many threads that connect Uganda and India together. Our partnership currently includes implementation of 180 Lines of Credit worth about USD 11 billion in over 40 African countries,” the Prime Minister added.

 

 

(With inputs from @PMOIndia twitter account)

 

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