India-Africa Defence Dialogue

Tags: Defence International News

India-Africa Defence Dialogue (IADD) being held on 18 October on the sidelines of the 12th DefExpo in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. 

Important facts

• The theme of the dialogue is ‘India-Africa : Adopting Strategy for Synergising and Strengthening Defence and Security Cooperation’.

• It aims to explore new avenues of convergence for mutual engagement including in the areas of capacity building, training, cyber security, maritime security and counter-terrorism.

• Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis (MP-IDSA), India's leading think-tank for advanced research in international relations, is the knowledge partner for the India-Africa Defence Dialogue.

• India’s approach towards Africa is guided by the Kampala Principles enunciated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018.

• On February 6, 2020, the first ever India-Africa Defence Ministers' Conference was held in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh in conjunction with the DefExpo.

What are Kampala Principles?

• The Kampala Principles promote the ownership of private sector partnerships (PSEs) through development cooperation by partner countries.

• These principles ensure the alignment of PSE projects and programs with national sustainable development priorities.

About African continent

• It is the second largest continent (after Asia), covering about one-fifth of the total land surface of Earth. 

• It is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, the Mediterranean Sea in the north, the Red Sea and Indian Ocean in the east, and the Atlantic and Indian Oceans in the south.

• The island of Madagascar, off the coast of Africa, is one of the largest islands in the world.

• The African continent has a population of over one billion, with a combined GDP of $2.5 trillion, making it a huge potential market.

• Africa is a resource-rich continent rich in crude oil, gas, pulses and lentils, leather, gold and other metals, all of which are lacking in substantial quantities in India.