(MENAFN- IANS) Johannesburg, Nov 10 (IANS) India has been steadily strengthening its diplomatic engagement with African countries, expanding its presence on the continent and spearheading efforts that led to the African Union joining the G20 which is considered as a landmark achievement during India's G20 presidency in 2023, a report said on Monday.

It added that South Africa's G20 presidency - the first time the premier forum for international economic cooperation has involved Africa in a leadership role - reflected the vision Prime Minister Narendra Modi outlined in 2018 regarding the guiding principles for India's ties with Africa.

Two years ago, during India's Presidency at the G20 Summit in New Delhi, Prime Minister Modi formally announced the African Union's inclusion as a permanent member of the group.

"This was a seismic announcement, allowing the AU the ability to give Africa a unified voice in global economic governance, promote equitable representation, and advance the continent's interests in areas like trade, climate change, and development. The genesis of the AU joining the G20 actually started seven years ago, when Modi unveiled India's 10“guiding principles” for ties with African countries during a speech in the Ugandan parliament,” a report in South African media outlet IOL detailed

“These priorities state that Africa is a top priority for India, India's development partnership will be guided by African priorities, promoting trade and investment between Africa and India, exporting India's digital revolution to the continent, cooperating in agriculture, addressing climate change, combatting terrorism and extremism, maritime security, promoting global engagement in Africa and reforming global institutions, and ensuring greater representation for Africa,” it added.

According to the report, since 2018, India has also successfully opened 17 new diplomatic missions across the continent including in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Guinea, Liberia, Mauritania, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Eswatini (Swaziland), and Togo.

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar has prioritised annual visits to different African countries since his induction into the Union cabinet in 2019.

“During his ministerial tenure, he has visited at least 13 African countries, including Ethiopia, Uganda, Nigeria, Namibia, South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania, Egypt, Kenya, Mauritius, Seychelles, Tunisia, and Niger,” the report noted.

PM Modi has visited several African countries, including Uganda, South Africa, Egypt, Kenya, Mauritius, Seychelles, Mozambique, Rwanda, Ghana, Namibia and Tanzania, over the past few years.

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