India has played a "prominent role" in the political movements of Africa and its presence cannot be "overlooked" in the continent, an Egyptian diplomat has said here.
"There is not an African state that does not have a diplomatic mission in India and full political representation.
I do not believe China is invading Africa because the Indian presence cannot be overlooked," Ahmed Hagag said, during a seminar on the occasion of Africa Day on Wednesday.
"India was one of the first countries to stand up to occupation and racial discrimination in Africa and hence presented financial and humanitarian support for national liberation movements in Zimbabwe, Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, Guinea Bissau and South Africa," he said.
Indian ambassador R Swaminathan said India and Africa are partners against poverty, hunger and deprivation as they both share past histories and emotions and therefore cooperation between them can inspire humanity and is an effective example of fruitful cooperation in the developing
world.
The importance of cooperation between them comes from the fact that occupied states in the past could not keep up with the scientific advancement, he said.
He also said that there are more than 15 thousand African students studying in India with around 500 by virtue of grants.
Swaminathan said Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has presented loans of USD 4.5 billion to execute developmental projects in Africa in addition to grants of 500 billion dollars a year.
The ambassador said the points of power in both India and Africa makes any cooperation between them a strong mixture that can strengthen the global economy.
The ambassador of Mauritius called on India to come help Africa fight poverty and equally distribute wealth.