News Delhi, 24 May: india’s Rising Power in Africa is becoming increasingly visible through military partnerships, naval cooperation, local manufacturing, infrastructure projects, and defence exports across the continent.
For years, China held a significant advantage across parts of Africa through infrastructure financing, state-backed defence exports, and large-scale industrial projects. But India is now steadily expanding its own presence through maritime security partnerships, defence manufacturing, institutional engagement, and long-term development cooperation.
That shift is gradually changing the strategic landscape across Africa.
China built an early lead in Africa
China remains Africa’s largest bilateral trading partner and one of the continent’s biggest suppliers of military hardware, drones, surveillance systems, and infrastructure financing.
Modern China Africa defence cooperation now extends far beyond traditional arms sales. Chinese companies and state-backed institutions have financed ports, highways, telecom networks, railways, and industrial zones across multiple African countries while simultaneously expanding defence exports.
Chinese systems such as the Wing Loong and CH-series UAVs are now operational in countries including Nigeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Algeria. These Chinese drones Africa deployments expanded rapidly because Beijing entered markets where many Western suppliers faced export-control restrictions or political limitations.
China’s wider African strategy also intersects with its growing Indian Ocean presence through ports, logistics corridors, and strategic maritime access routes linked to trade and energy security.
India is building a different model in Africa
India’s approach to Africa is structurally different from China’s.
Instead of relying mainly on state-backed infrastructure financing or large defence packages, New Delhi is gradually building long-term influence through local manufacturing, naval partnerships, training programs, and institutional cooperation.
According to official Indian government data, India currently maintains diplomatic missions in 46 African countries and has opened 17 new missions across the continent since 2018. Bilateral trade between India and Africa reached nearly $82 billion in FY2024-25, making India Africa’s fourth-largest trading partner.
India has also expanded development partnerships across Africa through technology cooperation, infrastructure projects, scholarships, and capacity-building initiatives. Since 2015, India has offered more than 70,000 scholarships and skill-development slots for African students and officials under multiple programs.
That institutional approach is becoming increasingly important in sectors linked to security and defence cooperation.
india’s Rising Power in Africa
Modern India Africa defence cooperation is no longer limited to diplomatic engagement or occasional military exports.
India is increasingly expanding into local manufacturing, maritime coordination, maintenance ecosystems, and defence-industrial partnerships.
The clearest example is Morocco, where Tata Advanced Systems established India’s first overseas private-sector defence manufacturing facility near Casablanca for the WhAP 8×8 armoured platform developed jointly with DRDO.
The project gives India a permanent industrial foothold inside Africa rather than relying purely on exports from India.
Indian companies are also gradually expanding operational footprints across African markets beyond armoured vehicles alone. Solar Industries has expanded industrial operations in countries including Nigeria, Zambia, Ghana, and Tanzania, while HAL maintains aircraft support relationships across parts of the Indian Ocean region.
India’s maritime strategy is also becoming central to its African outreach.
Through the SAGAR doctrine — Security and Growth for All in the Region — India has expanded anti-piracy deployments, naval exercises, hydrographic cooperation, and maritime-security partnerships across the western Indian Ocean.
In April 2025, India conducted AIKEYME (Africa India Key Maritime Engagement), a multilateral naval exercise in Tanzania involving several African countries focused on maritime coordination, interoperability, and regional security cooperation.
That matters strategically because Africa’s eastern coastline sits along critical sea lanes connecting Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.
Africa is becoming a strategic influence zone
Africa is no longer viewed only as a resource market or export destination.
It is increasingly becoming a major geopolitical theatre for:
- defence partnerships
- industrial expansion
- maritime influence
- digital infrastructure
- and long-term strategic positioning.
The rise of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is also increasing the importance of localized manufacturing and integrated regional supply chains.
China continues to dominate in industrial scale, infrastructure financing, and tactical drone exports.
India, meanwhile, is positioning itself differently through:
- local manufacturing
- maritime partnerships
- institutional engagement
- defence cooperation
- and long-term development programs.
That slower approach may ultimately give India a more embedded presence in parts of Africa over time.
India Africa naval cooperation is expanding across the Indian Ocean
Modern India Africa naval cooperation is becoming one of the most important pillars of India’s African strategy.
India has steadily strengthened maritime-security relationships with countries including Mauritius, Seychelles, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Madagascar through anti-piracy operations, coastal surveillance cooperation, hydrographic support, and naval exercises.
This outreach is closely linked to India’s broader Indian Ocean strategy.
As China expands strategic infrastructure and maritime access across parts of Africa, India has simultaneously increased naval engagement and security partnerships with Indian Ocean states.
This is not unfolding like a traditional Cold War rivalry.
Instead, influence is increasingly being shaped through:
- defence partnerships
- industrial ecosystems
- logistics corridors
- maritime security
- and supply-chain connectivity.
India China defence influence in Africa is expanding through very different strategic models.
China entered Africa earlier and still operates at far larger industrial scale across infrastructure, financing, defence exports, and tactical drone systems.
however, india’s Rising Power in Africa centered on maritime security, local manufacturing, defence partnerships, and institutional engagement.
As Africa’s geopolitical importance continues to rise, the continent is becoming increasingly important to the wider strategic positioning of both India and China across the Global South.
