Career diplomat Gurjit Singh traces the growing partnership between India and Africa in The Harambee Factor | Books and Literature News,The Indian Express
India’s diplomatic and economic investment in Africa have proven to be mutually beneficial for both parties
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HomeBooks and LiteratureCareer diplomat Gurjit Singh traces the growing partnership between India and Africa in The Harambee Factor
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Career diplomat Gurjit Singh traces the growing partnership between India and Africa in The Harambee Factor
India’s diplomatic and economic investment in Africa have proven to be mutually beneficial for both parties
Written by Hardeep S Puri
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August 27, 2022 2:00:14 pm
The Harambee Factor: India–Africa Economic and Development Partnership by Gurjit Singh; Macmillan Education; 456 pages; Rs 2,950 (Source: Amazon.in)The Harambee Factor: India–Africa Economic and Development Partnership is part of a refreshing trend of diplomats documenting their experiences and insights for wider public consumption, thereby also demonstrating the demand among readers to understand the inherent complexities of esoteric disciplines such as diplomacy. In this book, Gurjit Singh has distilled his decades-long experience of dealing with Africa to produce an objective and authoritative account of India-Africa relations.
The growing scholarship on Africa is reflective of the continent’s increasing influence in global affairs. As the author notes, Africa is the second-fastest growing region in the world after Asia, with its GDP having tripled in the past 15 years. The UN estimates that Africa’s population will double to 2.5 billion by 2050. Driven by its demographic dividend, a rising middle class, abundance of natural resources, growing investments, and greater continental unity, Africa will be an important global anchor for 21st century developments, foremost among them, economic growth and poverty reduction; urbanisation; achievement of SDGs; and climate-change mitigation.
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Many scholars have studied the political and historical similarities between India and Africa, alluding to the common themes of cultural plurality and anti-colonial struggle. However, the economic and development axes of the partnership — central to India-Africa relations, particularly in the last 20 years — have not been studied in much depth. Utilising his unique vantage point of having engaged with Africa in various capacities, including as India’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and Djibouti; head of the Africa division at the MEA; and as Representative to the African Union, UNECA, and IGAD, the author has filled a significant gap in the literature by analysing India’s Africa policy from the lens of development and economic cooperation.
The book lays an overarching emphasis on the “spirit of cooperation” between India and Africa, with the evolution from bilateral alliances to continental partnership comprehensively explained. Even the decision to use the word Harambee for the title of the book — which means cooperation in Swahili and is considered by some to be of Indian origin — is a warm and conspicuous reference to the relationship. Details such as each chapter starting with an African proverb that pithily encapsulates certain facets of the partnership paradigm are flourishes that add to the underlying message of mutual respect for each other’s customs, traditions and diversity.
Rating: 5