Somewhere India Lost The Plot With The African Union: Ambassador Gurjit Singh

India risks losing strategic ground in Africa unless it revitalises its engagement with the African Union (AU) and African countries through sustained political, economic and developmental partnerships, according to former Ambassador to Ethiopia and the African Union, Gurjit Singh.

In a candid assessment, Singh said India had "lost the plot" somewhere in its relationship with the African Union and needed to "get back on track." His remarks come at a time when global powers including China, the United States, the European Union, Turkey, Gulf nations and Russia are expanding their footprint across the African continent.

The veteran diplomat argued that while India continues to enjoy significant goodwill across Africa due to its anti-colonial legacy, development partnerships and educational exchanges, that goodwill alone is no longer sufficient. Africa's geopolitical importance has grown dramatically over the last decade, driven by its rapidly expanding population, abundant critical minerals, energy resources and emerging consumer markets.

Singh's comments also revive concerns that India's institutional engagement with Africa has slowed. The India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS), considered the flagship mechanism of India-Africa relations, was last held in 2015. The fourth summit, originally expected much earlier, was scheduled for May 2026 but was postponed following concerns over an Ebola outbreak in parts of Africa.

Experts have increasingly warned that the long gap between summits has weakened momentum in India-Africa relations. Singh himself recently argued that India's Africa policy requires sustained engagement rather than periodic summit diplomacy and that one of the key weaknesses of the relationship has been the gap between commitments and implementation.

The former ambassador has long advocated deeper cooperation in trade, infrastructure, digital technology, healthcare, climate action and skills development. During his diplomatic career, he also championed trilateral development initiatives involving India, Africa and partners such as Japan, arguing that such collaborations could provide alternatives to traditional development models.

His remarks come despite a significant diplomatic milestone for India. In 2023, India successfully pushed for the African Union's inclusion as a permanent member of the G20 during its presidency, a move widely welcomed across the continent. However, analysts argue that symbolic victories must now be matched with concrete economic and political engagement. Africa's continental integration efforts through initiatives such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) have opened new opportunities that India must engage with more actively.