What Nigeria wants from India- President Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari declared Thursday in New Delhi that Nigeria and other African countries expect that India, as a tested friend and dependable partner, “will always stand shoulder to shoulder with us in the discharge of the mandate entrusted to us by our people”. Addressing the Plenary Session of the 3rd Summit of the Forum, President Buhari expressed the hope that the India-Africa Forum will deepen, in practical terms, the South-South Cooperation that countries of the South have desired for so long.

He said, “The current international economic and political environment is far from being favourable, particularly for developing countries. Fresh political conflicts have erupted, accentuated by terrorism and extremism in the most awful forms.

“Trans-border crimes, illegal arms trade, irregular migration and cyber crimes have all added to the new global threats that demand our collective action. “Furthermore, the world is facing the challenge of Climate Change in which Africa remains badly affected with severe threats to food security and social stability. “From the West to the East, North to South, virtually every country in our respective regions is faced with unacceptable levels of poverty, unemployment and a youth bulge.

“India and Africa must develop a new spirit of solidarity, cooperation and partnership to confront these emerging threats. We must recognise that, in this globalised age, we all live interconnected lives in a fragile planet. We must therefore work together to uplift the lives of our people in a manner that preserves the sustainability of our living environment. “These challenges call for a renewed sense of urgency among African countries for economic development. It is an open secret that Africa possesses all the prerequisites to become a major growth region of the world.

“There is therefore the need for India and Africa to strive together to build a virile framework for partnership and cooperation in order to address common challenges in key areas including health, education, interconnectivity, power and employment generation as well as the strengthening of institutions of governance and democracy,” President Buhari told Prime Minister Narendra Modi and African Heads of State and Government.

He also said that Nigeria and other African countries must work harder to achieve greater political stability and security before they can enjoy the full benefits of partnership arrangements such as the India-Africa Forum. The President said that although African countries have a number of partnership arrangements with other countries of the world, the India-Africa Forum promises to be different “as it is not only a partnership between friends, but between countries and peoples who have had similar historical experiences of colonial rule”.