The Indian voyage to Africa is alight with opportunity but also facing challenges both policy and commercial. There are infrastructure hurdles, poor logistical support and access to the consumer market, inadequate banking and financial facilities, and low recognition of brand India. There is also often a misreading of the African continent by India. At the second meeting of the India-Africa trade ministers in 2012, India and Africa have set a target of $90 billion in trade and investment for 2015. Can that target be met?
On July 16, at the inaugural session of The Knowledge Series, Gateway House in collaboration with The Chambers, Taj Mahal Palace, hosted Kapil Kapoor, Director, Strategy, African Development Bank, Tunisia; Vishwesh Palekar, Senior Vice President, Innovation and Emerging Markets, Mahindra and Mahindra; Abhilash Puljal, Managing Director and Partner, Avignam Group, and Ambassador Neelam Deo, Director, Gateway House, in conversation with David Rasquinha, Executive Director, Export-Import Bank of India to discuss new strategies for Africa.
Kapil Kapoor is the Director of Strategy for the African Development Bank Group. Prior to joining the African Development Bank in February 2012, he was the World Bank’s Representative for Uganda and Zambia and the World Bank’s Sector Manager for its economics program in South Asia.
David Rasquinha is the Executive Director, Export-Import Bank of India (Exim). He has also served as a member on several Working Groups set up by the Reserve Bank of India on issues of relevance to exports and export credit. He served as the Resident Representative at the Bank’s Washington, DC office from 1999-2004.
Vishwesh Palekar is Senior Vice President, Innovation and Emerging Markets for the Mahindra Group. Prior to joining the Mahindra Group, he worked as the President and CEO of GE Enterprise Solutions in India.
Abhilash Puljal is the Managing Director and Partner of Avignam Group. Prior to founding the Avignam Group, he worked as a Senior Consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers, New Delhi, in the Tax and Regulatory Practice.
Ambassador Neelam Deo is Director of Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations; She is the former Indian Ambassador to Denmark, and the former Joint Secretary for Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh.
Gateway House meetings are for members and special invitees only, and they are off-the-record and not-for-attribution. If you are interested in becoming a member, click here for more details.