2nd India-US Dialogue on Africa Takes Place in Washington DC

The 2nd India-US Dialogue on Africa took place in Washington DC from 14 to 15 May 2024. The first edition was initiated in 2023 in the context of the Presidency of India of #G20 when India successfully pushed for the inclusion of the African Union (#AU) as a permanent member of the #G20.

The Indian side was jointly led by Puneet Kundal and Sevala Mude from the East and Southern Africa (E&SA) Division and Central and Western Africa (C&WA) Division of the Ministry of External Affairs of India respectively. On the other side, the US was represented by Mary Phee, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs.

The Dialogue aims to facilitate the exchange of perspectives on Africa with a view to explore ‘bilateral synergies’ to promote developmental projects and programs in Africa in order to promote the socio-economic development of Africa. In particular, the Dialogue has partnered with Africa-focused non-profit organization Technoserve to enhance #FoodSecurity, #WomenEmpowerment and #EnvironmentalSustainability.

Formerly, India and US have partnered in Africa in various sectors, namely, agriculture, education, energy, and health. One success story is the Feed the Future India-Africa Innovation Transfer Platform — formally launched in 2016 — which aims to disseminate soil and water management techniques in East Africa while facing the challenges of #ClimateChange.

The Dialogue hopes to leverage the respective strengths of India and the US in order to contribute to the goals which are in line with the AU #Agenda2063. Both India and USA recognize the growing importance of Africa on the world stage and this Dialogue highlights the commitment of both countries to ‘engage meaningfully’ with the emerging continent.