Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced $600m (£393m) in assistance for development projects in Africa at a major summit in Delhi.
More than 50 African leaders are attending the India-Africa Forum Summit, unprecedented in scale, in the Indian capital.
Although India’s trade with Africa has more than doubled to $72bn since 2007, it is still comparatively small.
The meeting is being seen as an attempt by India to improve ties with Africa.
A record number of African leaders, including South Africa’s Jacob Zuma, Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe, President Sisi of Egypt and Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir are attending the summit – part of India’s big push to increase its presence in Africa.’Bright spots’
Reports say the summit represents the highest number of foreign dignitaries to descend on India since 1983 and is thought to be the biggest ever overseas gathering of African leaders.
Welcoming them, Mr Modi described India and Africa as the “two bright spots of hope in the global economy.”