Vice President Dhankhar inaugurates 19th CII India-Africa Business Conclave

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar inaugurated the 19th CII India Africa Business Conclave in New Delhi on 21 August 2024. The three-day conclave will be held from 20 to 22 August 2024. Senior Ministers, policymakers, and business leaders from Africa and India will participate in the Conclave.

About the CII India Africa Business Conclave

The CII India Africa Business Conclave is an initiative of the Ministry of External Affairs, the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Confederation of Indian Industry.

The first edition of the CII India Africa Business Conclave was held in 2005.

The main objective of the CII India Africa Business Conclave is 

• to increase trade and investment between India and Africa,
• to encourage Indian investment in identified sectors in Africa,
• Increase interaction between the Indian Industry and Africa to address specific business opportunities.

Focus area of the 19th Conclave 

The Conclave will explore the role of the India-Africa partnership in regional and global value chain integration. 

The 19th Conclave will focus on some of the key areas of the India-Africa partnership and emerging opportunities in Agriculture, Food Processing, Defence, Healthcare Pharmaceuticals, Digital Partnership, Power and Energy, Financial Partnership, Infrastructure, Quality Ecosystem, Skill Capacity Development, and others.

Theme of the 19th CII India Africa Business Conclave

• The theme of the 19th CII India Africa Business Conclave is - Creating One Future.

Participants at the 19th CII India Africa Business Conclave

The 19th CII India Africa Business Conclave is being attended by delegates from 65 countries, 47 of which are from Africa. The Vice President of Burundi, Prosper Bazombanza; Gambia's Vice President, Muhammad B.S. Jallow; Liberia's Vice President, Jeremiah Kpan Koung; the vice president of Mauritius, Marie Cyril Eddy Boissézon; and Zimbabwe’s Vice President, Dr. C.G.D.N. Chiwenga, are attending the Conclave.

India Africa Business Relationships

India is Africa's fourth largest trading partner, with the European Union being its largest trading partner. 

The total trade between India and Africa in 2022-23 was $98 billion.

India's total investment in Africa is around $73.9 billion.

India’s trade is primarily with South Africa, Nigeria, Togo, and Mozambique and the 19th Business Conclave will explore ways to diversify the trade to other African countries. 

About Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) as a business lobby group was set up in 1895 as the Engineering and Iron Trades Association.

After various changes in its name, in 1992, the current name Confederation of Indian Industry was adopted.

Headquarters: New Delhi.

President of CII: Sanjiv Puri