India ahead of China now: African Union President hails '5th superpower of the world'

Azali Assoumani, President of the Union of Comoros and Chairperson of the African Union (AU), has welcomed India in Africa and believes that it has now outpaced China. Speaking to reporters on the second day of the G20 Summit on September 10, Assoumani called India a superpower in terms of inhabitance and said that it is ahead of China now. He also acknowledged India's space prowess after the successful Chandrayaan-3 mission and launch of Aditya-L1, its first solar mission. 

"India is the 5th superpower in the world so there is enough room for India in Africa. We also know that India is so powerful that it went to space. So we just need to coordinate...India is superpower in terms of inhabitance, India is ahead of China now," Assoumani said. 

#WATCH | G 20 in India | President of the Union of Comoros and Chairperson of the African Union (AU), Azali Assoumani says, " India is the 5th superpower in the world so there is enough room for India in Africa. We also know that India is so powerful that it went to space. So we… pic.twitter.com/k2cmA7GLnD

— ANI (@ANI) September 10, 2023

Significance of AU's inclusion to AU

Assoumani and leaders of the African nations are showing immense appreciation for PM Narendra Modi as he made the inclusion of African Union into G20 possible during India's G20 presidency. The African Union President said that he "was about to cry" as winning the G20 membership was 'a great emotion' for him.

With India facilitating the African Union's entry into the G20, it could open the gates wider for New Delhi's entry into resource rich Africa. China has been at the forefront in the rush to the continent and it has disbursed loans worth $153 billion to several African nations between 2000-2019, according to the Chinese Loans to Africa (CLA) Database managed by the Boston University Global Development Policy Center. 

Out of the African nations, Angola has the highest debt of $42.6 billion. Notably, Assoumani's nation Comoros too has $122 million of Chinese loan for infrastructure projects. India, too, has increased its engagement in Africa as PM Modi and External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar have had several tours to different countries in the past. As a result of the trips, New Delhi secured an investment deal with Nigeria worth $14 billion. It is worth noting that China, too, has offered 21 loans to Nigeria worth $7.3 billion. 

Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's spokesperson said that India's Jindal Steel and Power has pledged $3 billion for Nigeria's steel sector, Indorama Corp - $8 billion for a petrochemical facility, Skipperseil Ltd - $.16 billion to build power generation plants and Bharti Enterprises will invest $700 million in the country. According to the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) report, India has had a total investment of $74 billion in Africa since 1996 and this number can go up to $150 billion by 2030.