Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gestures as he addresses Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) supporters on the occasion of the 43rd anniversary of
the imposition of "the Emergency" period in Mumbai on June 26, 2018.
AFP PHOTO | PUNIT PARANJPE
India plans to open 18 new embassies in Africa, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi has said, in the latest sign that the Asian state is
seeking to strengthen its presence on the continent.
Mr Modi made the announcement during a speech in the Ugandan parliament - the first by a serving Indian prime minister.
He
welcomed President Yoweri Museveni's policy of encouraging Ugandan
Asians to return following the expulsion of many of them during the rule
of Idi Amin in the 1970s.
"Our people are among the many threads that connect Uganda and India together," Mr Modi said.
"Your
visionary leadership has helped Ugandans of Indian origin to come back
and rebuild the nation that they deeply cherish," he told Mr Museveni.
India
will boost its investments in Africa, and will keep its markets open to
African states to "make it easier and more attractive to trade with
India", Mr Modi said.
He added that more than 6,000 Indians serve in UN peacekeeping missions in Africa.
More than 160 of them have died in the line of duty, the highest number for any country, Mr Modi said.
"India
will work for you and with you; we will stand with you in your
endeavours. We will speak for you and with you," Mr Modi added.
He
said two-thirds of Indians and Ugandans was under the age of 35, and
"if the future belongs to the youth then this is the time to build".
Mr
Modi also unveiled plans to build a culture centre, named after India's
anti-colonial campaigner Mahatma Gandhi, in Uganda's eastern town of
Jinga, at the source of the River Nile.
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