India competes with China and the West in the rush for contracts, metals and energy
India is upgrading diplomatic, economic and strategic ties with several
African states in the search for oil and gas to meet its energy needs,
which are expected to double by 2010, in order to sustain its current
economic boom. Officials say they intend to build on past support
forged during their anti-colonial struggle to strengthen relations with
the 53-member African Union and emerging regional organisations by
extending credit and by expanding trade and defence links. In exchange,
India’s state-owned petroleum major ONGC Videsh Limited has
since 2004 secured oil and gas exploration rights in Southern Sudan and Nigeria to add to
its concessions in Libya,
Algeria and Egypt.
India’s Petroleum Ministry, headed by Murli Deora,
led the charge to increase the countries exploration and production
acreage in Africa at the end of 2007. In early November, India
organised its first-ever India-Africa Hydrocarbon Conference, which was
attended by 26 African countries and ten ministerial delegations.
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