His back to back visits to Liberia and Benin in a month have created great curiosity about India?s relations, renewed interest and growing engagement in the continent. Shashi Tharoor, Minister of State for External Affairs tells Sarika Malhotra that there is more to Africa than its market.

Your visit to Liberia was almost 40 years after Foreign Minister Swaran Singh?s visit in 1971. What accounts for this renewed interest?

A high level visit at the political level was overdue. India and Liberia enjoyed a close and cordial relationship in the pre-civil war era, both worked closely within the Non-Aligned Movement. However, there was a hiatus in political level contacts, which my visit sought to address. After decades of internal conflict, Liberia is consolidating its democracy. At this point of its transition, it was felt that we should reiterate India?s commitment to strengthen and diversify its relationship with Liberia. We are a significant contributor to the UN peace-keeping operation that is rebuilding the country, and our private sector can make a serious contribution to Liberia?s economic development.

Given the potential of the African market how is the government helping the private sector play a bigger role?

Our trade ties with Africa have grown considerably during the last decade. Bilateral trade has grown from $3 bn in 2000-01 to $39.3 bn in 2008-09. As there is potential for far more growth, our government has been actively encouraging the private sector to look at the African market, through its Focus-Africa programme. The government has taken several initiatives like sponsoring joint business meets, Africa Business Conclaves and Business Partnership Summits in partnership with CII/Ficci and other business/trade/industry bodies. They attract not only business leaders but also policy planners in the governments. Through such efforts, two positives emerge: while on the one hand Indian business and industry get to meet the relevant stakeholders under one roof, the African governments are able to showcase their potential and the availability of resources and also jointly explore possibilities of attracting investment and trade opportunities. Such interactions have led to Indian companies making investments in core sectors such as agriculture, pharmaceuticals, IT, health, infrastructure and industry. To encourage private sector contacts, it is useful to take a business delegation along with a political level visit. The business delegation simultaneously engages in meetings and pursues tie-ups with the African Chambers of Commerce and Industry. This has been the case during my recent visit to Liberia and Benin.

The relationship between China and the Africa is more often mediated by formal government-to-government agreements and China relies to a considerable extent on exported labour to the region to sustain its investments. Reportedly some 80,000 Chinese workers now live in Africa. Do you see the Indian government facilitating anything similar?

The comparison with China is irrelevant. We are a different country, with a different approach to the world, and our relations with Africa have nothing to do with China. GOI has well-established regulations for export of workers to foreign countries. If, in the process of executing projects covered by the GOI?s Lines of Credit, recruitment of Indian labour becomes necessary, these matters will be discussed with the countries concerned and our government will take steps to meet the need of the project for the required number of Indian workers with relevant skills.

What is India?s long-term and short-term policy towards the region?

India?s historical relationship with Africa has been a cornerstone of our foreign policy. We have always been willing to share our development experience with Africa, our democratic model, our cost-effective and appropriate technologies, our capacity building programmes and our low-cost but good quality education. Tens of thousands of African students have received education and training in Indian institutions. India has so far extended over $3 bn worth of concessional lines of credit to countries in Africa. India?s relationship with Africa was given a new structure by the First India-Africa Forum Summit held in New Delhi in 2008. At this Summit, leaders of India and Africa designed a programme of cooperation for a structured interaction in a variety of areas. The India-Africa Action Plan drawn up at the Summit also includes capacity building programmes for medical and health specialists to tackle pandemics such as malaria, filaria, polio, HIV and TB. India offered a Duty Free Tariff Preference Scheme for the Least Developed Countries, 34 of whom are in Africa, for preferential access to the Indian market. A wide-ranging programme of capacity building for $500 mn for the next five years was announced by our prime minister. India also decided to double our lines of credit to Africa for the next five years. These will now total $5.4 bn.

Do you think a soft power like India will have an edge over China in the region?

India and Africa have a historic relationship, which has grown into a sustainable partnership. From our struggle against colonialism and apartheid, we have emerged to jointly accept the challenges of a globalising world. We have a long-standing, close and multi-layered relationship with Africa based on our abiding commitment to work with the continent to fulfill its aspirations. Our partnership encompasses priority sectors integral to the developmental goals of Africa in the 21st century. The Delhi Declaration and the Africa-India Framework for Cooperation adopted at the Summit highlight our shared political vision and world view to provide a solid foundation for a systematic and stepped-up engagement in the years to come. Government is also committed to enhance the Aid to Africa budget of the Ministry of External Affairs. One important programme launched earlier this year was the Pan-Africa e-Network project, which provides tele-medicine and tele-education facilities with the association of super specialty hospitals and major universities in India by linking them with major hospitals and universities in Africa.

Between India and China, who is winning the ?Race for Africa??

We are not competing with any country. There is no such thing as a Race for Africa, as far as India is concerned. The needs of Africa are considerable enough to offer scope for involvement by India and China, and for that matter the developed West as well. We are committed to cooperate with the people of Africa so that we move together on the path of progress ensuring a better standard of living and self-reliance for both our peoples.