New Delhi, Dec 1 (UNI) In a step to further deepen their bilateral relations, India on Tuesday expressed its desire to become number one investor in the African countries.
Presently, India is the fifth largest investor in Africa.
Speaking at the virtual India Africa ICT Expo 2020 organised by TECP, Telecom secretary Anshu Prakash said, “If Africa is looking for secured ICT (Information and communication technology) products, please rely on us. Indian business believes in trust, strong ties and bonds. This is especially true for India and Africa. Indian companies have developed engineering capabilities and experience with smart innovations and they have ability to train employees at scales and provide innovative business model and solutions at low costs. This makes us uniquely well positioned to support booming African ICT sector.”
On growth of telecom sector in the country, the secretary said India has certainly made considerable progress. “Perhaps, we have one of the fastest growing telecom networks in the world. Our broadband penetration is now near 700 million and our mobile tariffs are the lowest in the world…. India has a huge data apatite and our data consumption is now the highest in the world and we also have the second highest mobile subscriber base.”
India is very committed for telecom and for telecom related products and digital networks and “increasing our economy is going digital,” he added.
On export of IT products, he said Indian manufacturers have made significant strides in export of telecom, ICT products to several countries and established that our IT and telecom products are world class and globally comparative on technology and price.
India is very keen to deepen ties with Africa and Rwanda in all areas and looks forward to working closely for furthering strengthening relations for mutual benefits, Mr Prakash said.
Talking about digital networks scenario during the Covid-19 pandemic, he said that the pandemic impacted the entire globe but the digital connectivity has performed an extremely critical role. “Digital networks and infrastructures kept the world functional and running,” he said.
A total of 50 ICT companies from India and 20 from Rwanda and other African nations are participating in this event.
Earlie, Rwanda’s Minister of Information and communications technology and Innovation Paula Ingabire inaugurated the sixth edition of the India-Africa ICT Expo and Conference.
Themed as ‘Digital Transformation: Key to sustaining growth post Covid-19’, the expo is scheduled to conclude on Wednesday.
UNI ASH SHK2037