The evening of the 11th of March, 2022 turned out to be interesting for the audience assembled at the Library Hall of the RTC-ICCR, Kolkata. As the organized event i.e. a Talk on “Emerging African Paradigms of Democracy and Development” turned an assemblage of multiple academic and cultural forums. As the main host ICCR, India is recognized as a breeding ground of Indian cultural legacies at a global platform. The event also had a representation of MAKAIAS Kolkata which is known for deliberating happenings of Asia from multiple dimensions. As the Director Dr. Sarup Prasad Ghosh himself extended his support as a moderator of the event. Also the co-host of the event − The Institute of Social and Cultural Studies (ISCS) is engaged in an in-depth research, publications, events on multifarious issues. Congregated with several others to address the policy and implementation tactics behind Emerging Africa and their navigating pragmatics against the challenges of sustainability, radicalization, governance and identity from the master himself as the event was delighted to have Prof. Eghosa E. Osaghae, Director General, Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Nigeria and his wife Dr. Veronika Osaghae.

The event marked its beginning with the welcome note of Sri R. Parthiban, Regional Director, RTC (ICCR), Kolkata. Followed to which the moderator Dr. Ghosh exchanged pleasantries and thanked the organizers for offering him an opportunity to denote the present trends of African democracy and market economy over the deliberation by Prof. Osaghae. The Distinguished Speaker Prof. Osaghae mentioned that Africa as a region had to witness different contestations whose approaches, probabilities and outcomes varied from each other invariably, like COVID-19 and its outcomes had been to the world. Prof. Osaghae added that the axiom of universality did not actually fit for a region like Africa. Moreover, the issues like democracy and development remained contested in the region. In order to grow and develop Africa had to identify paradigms where they could confront challenges, define explanatory powers and reconstruct, refigure and reconfigure mechanisms to secure identity and find its place in the run for the world power. Today Africa, like others, is also been scuttled with arm conflicts, gender disparity, terrorism, internal displacement of people, insecurity, radicalism etc. In order to confront such issues Africa is gearing up towards the process of self strengthening attributes and institutionalization. As by now the people have understood that Africa is not a lab, and not a region of experiments and thus a permanent solution, institutional mechanisms are to be folded to counter irrationalities.

Among the benefits Africa, unlike others, too have lot of natural resources and power of youths. But lack of skills, power of institutionalization tend to handicap the youth power in the race of growth and development. As Africa, irrespective of natural resource, does not have a capacity or skills to rightly use and invest resources. Therefore, the region continues to remain dominated by foreign powers who provides funds and treats us as their subservient – raises the factor of recolonization. Moreover, big powers that include US, UK, France, Turkey along with others also tend to split Africa. As the region is been cut across by Indian Ocean, the power of Blue Economy continues to provoke foreign power in various ways and rises concerns towards the factors like economy, geopolitics, coastal diplomacy. Thus, Prof. Osaghae’s deliberation hinted that even in the midst of emerging role of democracy and sustained economic upliftments, Africa is still gyrated with challenges and hence through development of institutionalizations, reviewed governance matrix to reach goals of MDG’s and SDG’s. Africa is also trying to cast the imperative of self reliance and amending steps to resolute social, political, economic canvas. Followed to which Prof. Ghosh, while summing up the session mentioned historical similarities, cultural linkages, parallel government orientations between India and Africa, and also specified how the concept of self reliance is also profoundly been trended in India through “Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan”. The event marked its closure with a Vote of Thanks by Sri Arindam Mukherjee, Director ISCS and Governing Body Member of ICCR, India, who, based on Indo-African commonalities, underlined the scope of Indo-African partnership of future.