Press Release Nº191/2015

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – 18 August 2015: Visiting Vice Minister of External Relations of India, H.E. Mr. Navtej Sarna, has delivered an invitation from India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the African Union Commission Chairperson, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, to attend the upcoming Africa-India Summit in Delhi on October 2015.

Delivering the invitation on Tuesday 18 August 2015 at the AU Headquarters, Vice Minister said, “The Summit is looked upon with a huge amount of importance, to widen and deepen engagement with Africa.” He highlighted the fact that it is the first Summit since the celebrations of 50th anniversary of the Organisation of African Unity, now African Union, the inauguration of the new Government of India and the adoption of Africa’s Agenda 2063.

The AU Commission Chairperson said she hopes to attend. “We are very keen to have a joint focused programme aligned to Africa’s Agenda 2063. There is quite an array of complementarities, which we aim to work on together in the next 4-5 years, to grow the partnership,” Dr. Dlamini Zuma noted.

The Summit and its outcome programme are expected to tailor their focus around Africa’s priority areas as articulated in the Agenda 2063, the continental development blueprint, such as training and skills development, women and youth’s empowerment, and the blue economy.

On the margins of the Summit, a number of side events will take place, such as an Editors Forum, Trade Forum, and Academic Forum with Universities and Think Tanks.

/JEE