ORF @orfonline, in Collaboration With Centre for Dialogue, Research and Cooperation(@CDRCEthiopia), is Organising the Partners For Progress: Africa and India in the Emerging Global Order.

Partners for Progress: Africa and India in the Emerging Global Order

The global economic and geopolitical landscape is undergoing a profound transformation. Ongoing conflicts, supply chain disruptions, economic fragmentation, and tightening development finance are reshaping patterns of international cooperation and redefining development priorities. Against this backdrop, India and Africa are emerging as increasingly important partners in shaping a more inclusive, resilient, and representative global order. As developing economies navigate an uncertain international environment, India–Africa partnership offers a compelling model of South-South cooperation rooted in shared interests, mutual respect, and a common commitment to sustainable development.

Africa and India share deep historical ties forged through anti-colonial solidarity, development cooperation, and people-to-people connections. Together, India and African countries account for some of the world’s fastest-growing economies, youthful populations, expanding markets, and vibrant innovation ecosystems. Both are seeking greater autonomy while pursuing development pathways that are inclusive, sustainable, and responsive to local priorities.

Recent developments in multilateral diplomacy underscore the growing convergence between India and Africa. India’s leadership in securing the African Union’s permanent membership in the G20 marked an important step toward enhancing African representation in global governance. Simultaneously, the expansion of BRICS, to include partners such as Ethiopia, has created new opportunities for collaboration on development finance, trade, investment, and industrialisation. India and African countries are well-positioned to advocate for global governance reform including a more equitable international financial architectures, greater representation in global institutions, and development frameworks that better reflect the needs and aspirations of emerging economies.

The future trajectory of India–Africa relations will be shaped by cooperation across a range of sectors. Enhancing connectivity through physical infrastructure, logistics corridors, digital networks, and people-to-people exchanges can strengthen trade and regional integration. Collaboration in technology and innovation, including digital public infrastructure, AI, fintech, healthcare, food security, agriculture, skill development and climate resilience, offers significant opportunities to accelerate inclusive growth. Equally important is cooperation on development finance, as African countries seek innovative solutions to address financing gaps for infrastructure, health, climate, and industrialisation.

Against this backdrop, Ethiopia occupies a particularly important place in India’s engagement with Africa. As one of the fastest-growing economies in Africa, and the host of the African Union, Ethiopia serves as a critical partner for strengthening bilateral cooperation and broader India - Africa engagement.

In this context, Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in collaboration with Centre for Dialogue, Research and Cooperation (CDRC) will convene a conference in Addis Ababa and bring together a diverse set of policymakers and practitioners to analyse pathways for strengthening India - Africa relations. The discussions will revolve around issues such as Africa’s engagement with plurilaterals such as BRICS, sustainable development, evolving landscape of development finance, resilient livelihoods; and technology and innovation.

Focused on examining the evolving contours of India–Africa engagement in a changing global economic order, the discussions will explore sectoral avenues for strengthening bilateral as well as plurilateral cooperation, opportunities for fostering deeper partnerships that contribute towards resilient growth, and developing a more balanced global governance architecture.