New Delhi voices dismay at dip in Africa’s share of global aid

Days before India hosts the third India-Africa Forum Summit, New Delhi has voiced concern over the decline in development assistance to Africa and called on the international community for continued aid flow to “those in need”. India’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Ambassador Bhagwant Bishnoi said at a UNGA session here that even as overall Official Development Assistance (ODA) levels increased slightly in 2014 over 2013, it is “striking” that ODA to Africa suffered a decline. 

“Moreover, the share of Africa in global ODA  also fell. This cannot but be a cause of concern and a situation that must be remedied at the earliest,” he said at a debate on Africa’s development. He said that “it is important not only that aid commitments are met at the earliest, but also that aid continues to flow to those most in need.” “It is equally important that aid is not diverted away from social sectors like health and education into climate change mitigation, for which the support must be new and additional,” he added.

Bishnoi also informed the 193-member UNGA that India is organising the third India-Africa Forum Summit from October 26-29 in New Delhi in which all 54 African countries would participate. The summit will be the first following the adoption of Agenda 2063 by the Africa Union this year and will also be the first since the achievement of 50 years of pan-Africanism. 

He pointed out that India-Africa trade has doubled in the last five years to $72 billion. Launched in 2008, India expanded its <g data-gr-id="19">Duty Free</g> Trade Preference Scheme for LDCs in 2014 to now include 98 <g data-gr-id="20">per cent</g> of tariff lines. The benefits of this unilateral scheme extend to all sub-Saharan African countries to raise their exports to India. The growing investment by Indian firms  in Africa is now estimated in the range of $30-35 billion spread across a range of sectors.