- India
- May 22
India-Africa Forum Summit postponed in wake of Ebola virus outbreak
• India and the African Union have postponed the India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) scheduled for May 28-31 in New Delhi in view of concerns over the spread of Ebola virus.
• The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that new dates for the summit will be finalised through consultations with the African nations.
• There has been an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and it has been declared as a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization (WHO).
• Over 136 people were reportedly killed in the outbreak in the African nation so far.
What is IAFS?
• It was established in 2008 and covers the entire gamut of inter-State partnerships in political, security, economic, trade, developmental partnership, cultural and people-to-people relationships.
• The Summit has been held three times: IAFS-I in 2008 (New Delhi), IAFS-II in 2011 (Addis Ababa), and IAFS-III in 2015 (New Delhi).
• The previous edition of the India-Africa Forum Summit resulted in a major expansion of Indian development assistance and capacity building programs for Africa.
• The IAFS is an important platform for fostering dialogue with African countries and the AU Commission and advancing mutually beneficial collaboration, guided by the principles of mutual respect, equality, solidarity and shared prosperity.
• India had planned to unveil an ambitious roadmap to further solidify its ties with the African continent at the upcoming summit.
• Top leaders from several African nations already confirmed their participation at the gathering.
• India has expanded its diplomatic footprint in Africa in recent years by opening 17 new missions across the continent, taking the number of Indian missions in Africa to 46.