India and Africa: bridging the gap between words and deeds

The report examines the mismatch between India's diplomatic rhetoric and its actual economic and institutional footprint in Africa. While India possesses comparative advantages rooted in historical ties, shared post-colonial values, and expertise in digital public infrastructure and pharmaceuticals, it lags behind rivals like China in trade, investment, and credit provision. The author identifies fiscal constraints, bureaucratic inefficiency, and reputational risks as primary barriers and recommends a coordinated 'multi-actor Africa policy' focused on high-impact sectors and strategic partnerships with anchor states including South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, and Egypt.

• India possesses significant comparative advantages in Africa based on historical links, shared developmental challenges, and a non-paternalistic partnership model. This includes a diaspora of nearly three million people of Indian origin living across all 54 African countries, which serves as a conduit for diplomatic and commercial interaction.
• There is a substantial gap between India's stated strategic ambitions and its material economic impact in Africa. In 2023, India's bilateral credit to Africa was approximately US$4.7 billion, which is significantly lower than China's estimated US$62 billion for the same period.
• India has successfully exported digital governance architectures to Africa, with Kenya adapting India's Aadhaar system for its Huduma Namba identity management and Rwanda implementing the Irembo platform based on features from India's Unified Payments Interface and DigiLocker.
• India's health diplomacy is a key strength, providing an estimated 40% to 45% of Africa's generic medicines. During the pandemic, the Vaccine Maitri initiative supplied tens of millions of doses to over 40 African states.
• Several factors hinder India's effectiveness in Africa, including tight public finances (with a 2024/25 fiscal deficit of around 4.8% of GDP), bureaucratic fragmentation across multiple delivery entities, and reputational damage caused by controversies involving business interests like the Gupta family and the Adani Group.
• The report proposes using four 'strategic anchor states'—South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, and Egypt—as hubs to pilot and scale initiatives in manufacturing, technology, energy, and logistics to create regional spillover effects.

APA

Gopaldas, R. (2026). India and Africa: bridging the gap between words and deeds. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1779880998089-20260527-africa-india-report.pdf

Chicago

Gopaldas, Ronak. India and Africa: bridging the gap between words and deeds. Institute for Security Studies, 2026. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1779880998089-20260527-africa-india-report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Gopaldas |first1=Ronak |title=India and Africa: bridging the gap between words and deeds |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=May 2026 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1779880998089-20260527-africa-india-report.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gopaldas2026india, author = {Gopaldas, Ronak}, title = {{India and Africa: bridging the gap between words and deeds}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2026}, month = may, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1779880998089-20260527-africa-india-report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }