Indian-African Cooperation in Science and Technologies

Author:

Olga Konstantinova

Abstract:

At the present time, when technology “rules the world”, it is important for Africa to master scientific and technological progress, to make a “leap” in the development of science and technology, which will contribute to economic recovery, employment growth, and income growth.

The article summarizes and analyzes information about the places that India and African countries hold in the global ranking of innovative economies. India, as one of the leaders in the export of information and communication technology services, possessing advanced science and technology clusters, ranked 40th, according to the Global Innovation Index (GII) for 2022. Of the African countries, only Mauritius (45th place) made it into the top 50, while the top 100 also included South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, Botswana, Kenya, Egypt, Ghana, Namibia, Senegal.

According to the World Bank, research and development spending (% of GDP) in Africa varies greatly. For the period from 2015 to 2020, the minimum value of this indicator was noted in Mauritania 0.01%, and the maximum in Egypt – 0.96%. At the same time, Rwanda, Tunisia, South Africa, and Mauritius demonstrate the highest values among African countries, along with Egypt. In terms of the number of articles in scientific and technical journals, China and the USA lead the world, followed by India. Among African countries, the leaders are Egypt, South Africa, Nigeria.

As a result of the study, the author comes to the conclusion that India has made a significant contribution to cooperation with African countries in the field of scientific and technological progress. Since 1964, the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Program has been operating, a program for providing developing countries with technical assistance and assistance in training specialists. In 2009, the Pan-African E-Network Project was launched to bridge the digital divide in Africa. India has established IT centers in South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Lesotho, Ghana, Namibia and Tanzania; CGARD Technology Center in Madagascar; vocational training centers in Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burundi, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Zimbabwe and Egypt.

Thus, India and Africa are cooperating in the field of education, science, medicine, digital technologies, agriculture, development of alternative energy sources. At the same time, it is necessary to more actively expand cooperation between India and Africa in the field of innovation and technology, which will undoubtedly be beneficial for both parties and serve the interests of the Indian and African peoples.

Keywords:

India, Africa, cooperation, innovation, scientific and technological progress

DOI:

10.31132/2412-5717-2023-65-4-21-30

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