[ad_1]
New Delhi: India and Germany are set to expand collaborations with a third developing-country partner, involving the African states of Ethiopia and Madagascar, said Chaman Dhanda, India head for trilateral cooperation at Germany’s technical assistance agency, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
So far, New Delhi and Berlin have jointly worked on project developments in Peru, Ghana, Cameroon, and Malawi.
Existing initiatives involve promoting farming opportunities for the women in Malawi and using agri-tech solutions for potato production in Cameroon.
“The objective would be to build on individual strengths and experiences in development cooperation to offer sustainable, viable and inclusive projects to third countries in addressing development challenges and achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and SDG-related climate targets, including through multilateral institutions where India and Germany are members, such as the International Solar Alliance (ISA),” the two sides said in a joint declaration of intent released in May 2022.
The Indo-German partnership is so far focused on climate and sustainability solutions for partners nations, but Germany is now interested in broadening the programme to incorporate healthcare projects and sponsoring health-related research and development in Africa, Jochen Flasbarth, state secretary at Germany’s federal ministry for economic cooperation and development, told the media in New Delhi.
The ministry of external affairs did not respond to Mint’s queries till press time.
Furthermore, the two countries are now exploring opportunities in Asia, expanding their focus beyond Latin America and Africa.
India has also undertaken a number of trilateral cooperation partnerships with countries like the United States and France, as it looks to leverage the technical capabilities and financial resources of trusted partners in strategically-important regions. For example, Mint had earlier reported that India is considering cooperation with America, Australia and France in the Pacific Islands.
New Delhi is exploring a similar proposal with the United Kingdom under the Global Innovation Partnership to harness innovation in India to deliver development in strategic third countries.
Mint reported that a list of target countries under this programme will be finalized by early next year, and possible cooperation on renewable power projects in Sri Lanka are being discussed as part of this.
While trilateral cooperation initiatives have been pushed through with considerable backing from India and its chosen partners, they are also understood to come with coordination challenges. While India is willing to work with a number of developed country partners to shore up its strategic position in its neighbourhood, it retains a preference for bilateral development projects that can be implemented quickly with few bureaucratic delays.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it’s all here, just a click away! Login Now!
Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
Published: 23 Dec 2023, 12:15 AM IST
[ad_2]
Source link