Business Conference and Show to further Elevate India-Africa Partnership
Mr Anand Sharma, Minister of Commerce and Industry, would inaugurate the India Show being organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) with the support of Ministry of Commerce and Industry in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 20-22 May 2011 on the occasion of the Second India Africa Forum Summit. The Hon’ble Minister would deliver the inaugural address at the concomitant Business Conference with the theme of ‘India-Africa: Enhancing Partnerships, Shared Vision.’ He would also release a special publication entitled ‘India-Africa Business Guide’. The Inaugural Session would also be addressed by Dr Jean Ping, Chairperson, African Union Commission; Mr Abdurahman Sheik Mohamed, Minister of Trade, Republic of Ethiopia and Mr Mekonen Manyazwal, Minister of Industry, Republic of Ethipia.
A 15-member high-level CII CEOs Delegation, led by Mr Adi Godrej, President-designate, CII, would accompany the Minister. The delegation members include : Mr Sunil Bharti Mittal, Past President, CII and Chairman and Group Executive Officer, Bharti Enterprises; Mr N Kumar, Past President, CII and Vice Chairman, The Sanmar Group; Mr Chandrajit Banerjee; Director General, CII; Mr Syamal Gupta, Chairman, CII Africa Committee and Special Advisor, Tata International; Mr Sanjay C Kirloskar, Chairman and Managing Director, Kirloskar Brothers; Mr Atul Punj, Chairman, Punj Lloyd; Ms Alka Tyagi, Chairperson-cum-Managing Director, Hindustan Diamond Company; Mr Deepak Indernarayen Premnarayen, Executive Chairman, ICS Group; Mr Y Harish Chandra Prasad, Chairman, Malaxmi Infra Ventures (India); Mr P Rajendran, Chief Operating Officer, NIIT; Capt. Kuldeep Singh Solanki (Retd), Chief Executive Officer, Sainik Potash; Mr K K M Kutty, Chairman, South West Group; Mr S Kuppuswamy, Advisor, Group Finance and Special Projects, Shapoorji Pallonji & Co. and Mr P S Jayaraman, Chairman, TCI Sanmar Chemicals S A E.
The Government of India and the African Union are holding their second summit-level meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, following the first one in New Delhi in April 2008, which opened a new chapter in India-Africa partnership. The 2nd Africa India Forum Summit is expected to be attended by Dr Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India. The CII India Show will be held on the sidelines of the Summit.
The India Show is being organized to augment bilateral trade and investment and promote Indian technology and services in Africa. More than 80 Indian companies will be displaying their products on the occasion, ranging across sectors such as manufacturing, infrastructure, finance, IT, automotives, and others. The Show is envisaged as an opportunity to showcase the proficiencies of Indian industry in Africa and build a new level of economic partnership with the rapidly growing African economy.
The resource-rich African economy has gained rapid momentum, growing at well over 5% in the years before the global economic crisis. India’s trade and investment relations with the continent are on the upswing. On the trade front, the bilateral trade between India and Africa which stood at US $ 3 billion in 2000 - 01 has recently breached the $45 billion mark and is targeted to scale to US $ 70 billion level by 2015.
Indian investments in the continent too have accelerated. Almost 250 Indian firms are active in the continent with estimated investments of $5 billion. The Indian investment model in Africa is unlike that of other countries as it is based on long-term sustainable partnerships as well as investments in local human talent and community outreach.
CII has been proactively driving the new synergy of Indian business in Africa. Through the path-breaking India-Africa Project Partnership series, held in partnership with the Exim Bank of India with the support of Government of India, it has evolved a new dialogue on engagement with Africa. Based on intelligent resource allocation, technology transfer, and human capacity enhancement, the Conclave is a successful meeting point for Indian and African businesses. So far, CII has completed 7 Conclaves in India and 13 Conclaves in Africa.