The Significance Of The Return Of IAFS To New Delhi At A Pivotal Geopolitical Moment

 

 

New Delhi : After over a decade of silence, the India–Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) is set to return to New Delhi in the last week of May this year, marking a significant diplomatic moment for both sides.

Though New Delhi is yet to announce the exact dates, confirmation of the fourth summit has come when Libya’s Presidential Council head Mohammed Menfi received an invitation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, signalling that the long-dormant platform is being revived at a time when Africa has moved to the centre of global geopolitical competition.

 

“Presidential Council head Mohammed Menfi has received an official invitation from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the fourth India–Africa Forum Summit, set to take place in New Delhi at the end of May,” The Libya Observer news website has reported.

“According to the Presidential Council, the invitation reflects efforts to strengthen Libya’s international engagement and expand cooperation with partners across Africa and Asia in support of development and strategic partnerships,” the report stated.

 

As major powers intensify their engagement across the continent, India’s decision to host the summit underscores a strategic recalibration of its Africa policy.

The IAFS is the official platform for the African-Indian relations. IAFS is supposed be held once in every three years, however the rule has not been strictly followed. The summit cycle was disrupted by successive global crises including the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving over a decade between forums. The decision to host IAFS-IV in 2026 signals an effort by India to recalibrate and reinvigorate its continental engagement at a time when Africa’s global strategic weight is rising.

 

The first such summit was held in April 2008 in New Delhi. It was the first such meeting between the heads of state and government of India and 14 countries of Africa chosen by the African Union (AU).

The inaugural summit established the institutional foundation for India-Africa engagement. Two major outcomes were the Delhi Declaration (2008), a joint political statement reaffirming commitment to strengthening cooperation and mutual respect, and the Framework for India-Africa Cooperation, a broad blueprint outlining cooperation in seven key areas, including economic cooperation, political coordination, science and technology, social development, infrastructure, energy and environment, and media and communication.

 

This summit marked a formal commitment to multi-dimensional engagement, emphasizing shared development challenges, South-South solidary, and collective representation on global issues such as climate action and institutional reforms. It laid the groundwork for future strategic cooperation beyond transactional ties.

The second summit was held at the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, headquarters of the AU, in May 2011 with India and 15 African countries participating. It expanded the agenda, reaffirming commitments made in 2008 and enhancing India’s financial and technical support for African development. Notably, it acknowledged projects like the Pan-African e-Network Project, which aimed to connect African countries through telemedicine and tele-education.

 

Key outcomes included the Addis Ababa Declaration, a renewed political cooperation and emphasis on shared developmental goals, and the Joint Action Plan, a supplementary plan to the original framework, focusing on practical cooperation in trade, development, security, and ICT.

The third summit on a rotation basis was held in New Delhi in October 2015. The summit started with consultations on official level followed by the heads of state and government level summit with scheduled bilateral meetings. This was Prime Minister Narendra Modi government’s biggest diplomatic outreach involving delegates from a large number of African nations.

 

This summit was the largest diplomatic outreach by India to African states, symbolising mutual respect and equality in partnership. It underscored a shift from broad frameworks to action-oriented cooperation in areas of immediate socio-economic impact. India also pledged substantial financial assistance in concessional credits and grants for African development projects.

The Delhi Declaration (2015) reinforced shared commitments aligned with African Union Agenda 2063 and UN Sustainable Development Goals. Another key outcome was the India-Africa Strategic Cooperation Framework, a more focused cooperation framework in priority sectors like trade, renewable energy, health, education, peace and security.

 

The Fourth IAFS marks the long-awaited return of this high-level platform after a significant hiatus since the third summit in 2015.

In an era of intensifying geopolitical rivalries and shifting power balances, the IAFS comes at a moment of heightened strategic competition. Global powers such as China, the US, the European Union, and Russia are continuously deepening ties with African countries across defence, infrastructure, trade, and technological cooperation. Africa’s natural resources, demographic dynamism and geopolitical location make it central to competing regional and global strategies.

 

The upcoming summit thus offers a timely opportunity for India and African leaders to institutionalise strategic convergence and strengthen cooperation in ways that respect African agency, while also advancing shared interests in peace, security, economic development and sustainable growth.

The IAFS is much more than a diplomatic ritual; it embodies India’s long-standing commitment to South-South cooperation. Today, both India and African nations emphasise partnerships that promote equitable development and collective agency in global affairs.

 

Economic engagement is a core pillar of India–Africa relations. Trade between India and Africa has grown substantially, crossing the $100-billion mark recently, and targets of much higher bilateral trade levels by 2030 are frequently discussed by policymakers.

Ruchita Beri, Senior Fellow at the Vivekananda International Foundation think tank and an expert on Africa, said that India deciding to host the Fourth IAFS is a welcome step. “Hopefully, this will take India’s partnership with Africa to the next level, Beri told ETV Bharat. “The Prime Minister has shown interest in African countries over the last few years.”

 

She said that this interest in Africa will help India in dealing with energy security, including procurement of natural gas and critical minerals. “Africa is an important partner for India in the Global South,” Beri said. Samir Bhattacharya, Associate Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation think tank, concurred with Beri.

“The Strait of Hormuz is a case in point,” Bhattacharya said. “We are already importing oil from Nigeria. We can import fertilisers from North African countries like Morocco and Algeria.” He said that for nuclear energy, India needs uranium from West African countries.