Before and Beyond Energy: Contextualising the India–Africa Partnership

The document examines the evolving India-Africa partnership, highlighting energy as a primary driver due to India's rising import dependency. It details India's diversification strategy across coal, oil, natural gas, and uranium, while arguing that the relationship extends beyond energy into trade, defence, and capacity building. The analysis contrasts India's approach with that of China and the West, emphasizing the need for sustainable energy governance to avoid the 'resource curse' and energy poverty in Africa.

• India is increasingly dependent on energy imports to sustain its economic growth, with projections suggesting that by 2030, import dependency could reach 90% for oil, 50% for natural gas, and 45% for coal if an 8% growth rate is maintained.
• Africa serves as a critical diversification tool for India's energy security to reduce its heavy reliance on West Asia, which accounts for nearly 70% of India's total oil imports and over 80% of its natural gas imports.
• India's energy imports from Africa have widened and deepened; for example, crude oil imports from African countries rose from seven sources in 2006-07 to 15 by 2009-10, with Africa providing about 20% of India's total crude oil imports in 2009-10.
• South Africa is India's most significant African partner for coal; in 2009-10, India imported coal worth $1,314.38 million from South Africa, representing nearly 21% of India's total coal imports.
• India has expanded into nuclear energy cooperation in Africa, signing a peaceful use agreement with Namibia in 2009 for uranium oxide, copper, and diamonds, and engaging in uranium exploration in Niger and Madagascar.
• While India and China both seek African resources, China possesses superior financial capabilities, often outbidding India for equity investments in oil and gas fields, such as in Nigeria and Angola.
• The partnership extends beyond energy into 'soft' sectors and strategic security, including the Pan-African e-network for tele-medicine and tele-education, and naval ties with Indian Ocean Rim countries like Mauritius, Seychelles, and South Africa to safeguard sea lines of communication.
• Energy-rich African nations often face the 'resource curse' or 'paradox of mineral wealth,' where high resource dependence correlates with poor governance and conflict, such as militant violence in Nigeria's Niger Delta affecting oil production.

APA

Sharma, D., & Ganeshan, S. (2011). Before and Beyond Energy: Contextualising the India–Africa Partnership. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Occasional-Paper-77.pdf

Chicago

Sharma, Devika, and Swati Ganeshan. Before and Beyond Energy: Contextualising the India–Africa Partnership. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2011. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Occasional-Paper-77.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Sharma |first1=Devika |last2=Ganeshan |first2=Swati |title=Before and Beyond Energy: Contextualising the India–Africa Partnership |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=February 2011 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Occasional-Paper-77.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sharma2011before, author = {Sharma, Devika and Ganeshan, Swati}, title = {{Before and Beyond Energy: Contextualising the India–Africa Partnership}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2011}, month = feb, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Occasional-Paper-77.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }