India sought to deepen strategic and economic ties with resource-rich Africa as it held its first summit meeting on Tuesday with African leaders and sweetened the pot by offering financial help. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, playing host to the presidents of five African states and senior leaders of nine other countries, announced export tariffs cuts that he said would benefit 34 of Africa's 53 countries. “India wishes to see the 21st century as the century of Asia and Africa with the people of the two continents working together to promote inclusive globalization,” Singh said in a speech. He more than doubled financial credit to Africa to 5.4 billion dollars in the next five years from 2.1 billion dollars in the preceding five years. Singh also offered to partner Africa in developing agriculture, infrastructure, education and small-scale industry along with information technology and said half a billion dollars would be handed out in project aid. He also announced a raft of measures, including preferential market access for exports. Products covered by the tariff concessions include cotton, cocoa, aluminum ore, copper ore, readymade garments and non-industrial diamonds. The two days of talks with countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, South Africa and others that Indian officials say are aimed at defining “the roadmap for future engagement,” were slated to end on Wednesday. Analysts say India's focus on the US and Europe since launching market reforms in 1991 has eroded its support base in Africa, while countries such as China and Japan have made great inroads on the continent. China's bilateral trade with Africa stood at 56 billion dollars annually in 2007-08 while India's trade with the continent totaled 30 billion dollars. __
