India and Africa: Towards a Sustainable Energy Partnership

The document examines India's strategic shift toward Africa to diversify its energy imports and reduce dependence on the Middle East. It contrasts India's 'hybrid model' of engagement—which combines resource extraction with capacity building and infrastructure development—against the more mercantilist approaches of other powers. The author argues that for the partnership to be sustainable, India should leverage its expertise in renewable energy and rural electrification to support Africa's own development goals.

• India faces severe energy security challenges due to a low domestic resource base and high economic growth targets. By 2008–09, oil imports reached nearly 2.4 million barrels per day, accounting for 75% of total consumption, with a projected dependency on the Middle East of over 90% by 2030.
• Africa has become a critical alternative to the Middle East for energy diversification, holding 9% of global oil reserves, 7.9% of natural gas reserves, 5% of coal reserves, and 38% of uranium reserves.
• India's strategy in Africa involves both state-led acquisitions and private investment. The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), via ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL), has acquired stakes in Sudan's Greater Nile Oil Project and signed a $6 billion infrastructure deal with Nigeria.
• India attempts to distinguish its engagement from other powers through a 'hybrid model' that integrates resource extraction with long-term industry development, capacity building, and human resource training to avoid the 'resource curse' seen in previous decades.
• Despite its efforts, India lags behind China in Africa; China's investments in Africa are approximately $8 billion, which is four times the size of India's investment.
• There is significant potential for India to assist Africa in renewable energy, particularly solar power, as sub-Saharan Africa has 560 million people without electricity and 625 million relying on solid fuels for cooking.
• Financial barriers hinder African green energy projects; for example, Kenya's Turkana Wind Power (300 MW) and Olkaria 4 geothermal project (280 MW) struggled to reach financial closure due to lender demands for sovereign guarantees.

APA

Dadwal, S. R. (2011). India and Africa: Towards a Sustainable Energy Partnership. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Occasional-Paper-75.pdf

Chicago

Dadwal, Shebonti Ray. India and Africa: Towards a Sustainable Energy Partnership. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2011. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Occasional-Paper-75.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dadwal |first1=Shebonti Ray |title=India and Africa: Towards a Sustainable Energy Partnership |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=February 2011 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Occasional-Paper-75.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dadwal2011india, author = {Dadwal, Shebonti Ray}, title = {{India and Africa: Towards a Sustainable Energy Partnership}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2011}, month = feb, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Occasional-Paper-75.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }