Author: Sushant K. Singh.

ndia's involvement in western Africa is expanding beyond its traditional Commonwealth partners. This briefing paper finds that India faces fierce competition from the West and other Asian countries to secure African resources. It highlights that Indian companies are not blindly entering into business relationships in western Africa. Moreover, beyond oil and infrastructure development, India is well placed as a soft power to enhance the India-Africa relationship in the future. The mechanics of India's democracy in a postcolonial setting may provide relevant lessons for African countries. The paper argues that India can also offer west Africa important insights into agricultural expansion, clean water management and how to confront the growing threat of climate change.