The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the 12th CII-EXIM Bank Conclave on India Africa Project Partnership today (March 9, 2017) in New Delhi. Speaking on the occasion, the President said that our connection with Africa is not new. The bonds between our countries have strengthened over the years. We are committed to building genuine partnerships that create jobs and opportunities for our peoples. Mindful of our common history and shared future, we have decided to elevate our relationship. For the first time ever, we welcomed representatives of all 54 countries of Africa at the third India-Africa Forum Summit in October 2015. We have since then broadened our diplomatic footprint. Our leadership has visited almost every African country in the last eighteen months. He stated that he personally went to Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana and Namibia last year. The President said that India and Africa have together made a long and steady journey of progress over the years.
The impact of our progress is visible in our cities. When he first spoke at the CII-EXIM Bank Conference in 2009, a million passengers were using the world-class Delhi Metro. Hundreds of kilometres of rail have been added since then and its ridership today is over three and a half million people daily. It is indeed a shining example of a technically complex project, involving multiple partners and stakeholders. The President said that India has supported development in Africa through Lines of Credit estimated at over US$7 billion under the IAFS process. Our collaboration extends across a wide spectrum. We have offered fifty thousand scholarships to our African brothers- six thousand Africans have since trained under IAFS-3. The President said that the future holds bright prospects for us. By 2050, India and Africa will be home to close to four billion people. Our combined GDP will be over USD thirty five trillion. He called upon the leaderships of India and Africa to work together for the promise of a new tomorrow for the people of India and the people of Africa. He expressed hope that the 12th Edition of the Conclave will open new vistas of co-operation between India and Africa.