The Third Annual International Conference and Exhibition on ‘Africa – a Land of Opportunities’ was organised by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, at the PHD House in New Delhi.
The Chamber is a multi-state organisation that acts as a catalyst in the promotion of industry, trade and entrepreneurship through its research-based policy advocacy role, which positively impacts the economic growth and development of the nation.
The theme of this edition of the Conference ‘Towards Sustainable Partnership’ couldn’t have been more appropriate considering how indispensable it has become to ensure sustainability and consistency in the India-Africa trade relationship.
The Indo-Africa trade has grown by leaps and bounds – rising from US$ 1 billion in the year 1991 to around US$ 52 billion in 2016. The present dynamics of the India – Africa partnership is a source of great strength for the two regions in order to consolidate and accelerate each other’s economic development and to build an inclusive and sustainable world.
The focus sectors of cooperation identified for discussion at the 2017 Conference were – Agriculture, Energy, Healthcare and AYUSH, Education and Skill Development.
The Chief Guest of the Conference was General (Dr) Vijay Kumar Singh (Retd), the Minister of State for External Affairs, India. He appreciated PHD’s efforts of bringing the African and Indian businessmen and governments on the same platform and said, “We need to understand that both Africa and India have learnt a lot from each other in various fields and have a great future ahead. The demographics of both Africa and India favour the early realisation of the dreams, which emanate from both the continent and sub-continent.”
The event saw the participation of African and Indian dignitaries such as H.E. Dr. Jagdishwar Goburdhun, High Commissioner of Mauritius, H.E. Mr. Desire Koumba, Ambassador, Embassy of the Republic of Gabon, Mr. Upendra Tripathy, Interim Director-General, International Solar Alliance and Mr. David Rasquinha, Managing Director (Additional Charge), EXIM Bank of India.
The list of exhibitors included Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius, Rwanda, Togo, South Africa, Senegal, Ghana, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The Times of Africa was the media partner of the event along with Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Diplomatist. The strategic sponsors were Gabon Special Economic Zone (GSEZ) and Shakti Pumps India Limited. The event was co-sponsored by Powergrid Corporation of India Limited with Knowledge Partner RNCOS Business Consultancy Services.
As a vote of thanks, The Times of Africa received a memento of thanks from Mr. Saurabh Sanyal, Secretary General PHD Chamber and Mr. Ranjeet Chaturvedi, Chairman, International Affairs for Africa and Middle-East, PHD Chamber.
The series was launched by the PHD Chamber in the year 2013, with the support of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. Both the editions had successfully been able to serve as a platform for increasing interaction between the Indian industry and Africa, across diverse sectors.
