Nairobi — India sees Africa not just as a source of opportunity, but also as a strategic partner in shaping the world’s future, India’s High Commissioner to Kenya, Adarsh Swaika, said on Thursday.
Speaking at his first engagement with Kenyan media since assuming office, Swaika said New Delhi’s engagement with African countries, including Kenya, is anchored in shared history, mutual respect and long-term cooperation rather than transactional interests.
“India does not see Africa merely as a destination of opportunity, but as a partner in shaping the global future,” the envoy said, outlining India’s vision for collaboration with the Global South.
He noted that India played a decisive role in securing permanent African Union membership in the G20 and continues to advocate reforms of global governance institutions to better reflect contemporary realities.
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To deepen engagement with African countries, Swaika said India has convened three editions of the India-Africa Forum Summit, which he described as a cornerstone of New Delhi’s Africa policy.
“India’s connection with Africa has grown manifold in the last decade. Kenya, with its regional leadership, dynamic economy and young population, is central to that vision,” he said.
Tracing Kenya-India relations back more than 2,000 years, the envoy pointed to Indian Ocean trade between the subcontinent and the Swahili Coast, describing the ties as “historic, time-tested and rooted in extensive people-to-people connections.”
He cited the construction of the Mombasa-Uganda railway in the late 19th century by more than 32,000 Indian workers as a defining chapter in Kenya’s modern history, noting that nearly 2,500 lost their lives during the project.
He also highlighted the “often-overlooked” contribution of more than 40,000 Indian soldiers who served alongside African troops in East Africa during the First World War.
“This long, complex, and sometimes painful shared history emerged a natural partnership between two independent nations,” Swaika said.
Indian-origin figures such as Makhan Singh, widely regarded as the father of Kenya’s trade union movement, and freedom fighter Pio Gama Pinto played key roles in Kenya’s political awakening, he said, adding that Mahatma Gandhi’s ideas on civil rights and non-violence influenced liberation movements across Africa.
Swaika said bilateral ties have intensified in recent years through regular high-level engagements, including visits by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Kenya in 2016 and Kenyan President William Ruto to India in 2023.
Cooperation now spans defence, trade, health, agriculture, digital technologies and education, he said, citing Kenya’s interest in India’s digital public infrastructure and growing collaboration in pharmaceuticals, water treatment and investment promotion.
Defence relations have evolved into a multi-dimensional partnership covering training, peacekeeping, maritime cooperation and defence industry collaboration.
Swaika said that India and Kenya work closely on preparing forces for United Nations peacekeeping missions, while Indian naval and coast guard vessels have made more than 35 port calls at Mombasa and Lamu since 2010.
“This signals a shift from simple exchanges to long-term capability building,” he said.
On trade and development, he said India is Kenya’s third-largest trading partner, with annual trade valued at about $3.5 billion, noting that Kenyan exports to India rose by nearly 80 percent over the past year.
Nearly 200 Indian companies operate in Kenya across manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, banking and consumer goods, employing tens of thousands of Kenyans.
Firms such as Tata, Mahindra & Mahindra, Bharti Airtel, Godrej, Bajaj and TVS have a significant footprint, while Indian pharmaceutical companies supply affordable medicines to Kenya’s health system.
Reflecting growing confidence in Kenya as a regional hub, the Export-Import Bank of India relocated its East Africa representative office from Addis Ababa to Nairobi last year.
India has also extended more than $200 million in lines of credit to Kenya for projects in power transmission, textiles and small and medium-sized enterprises, Swaika said, describing India’s development cooperation as “demand-driven and capacity-focused.”
Education, healthcare and mobility remain central to the partnership, he said.
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India offers about 400 fully funded scholarships and training opportunities to Kenyans annually, and nearly 10,000 Kenyans travelled to India for medical treatment this year.
“India’s hospitals combine high clinical standards, advanced medical technology and highly trained doctors, with treatment costs that are significantly more affordable than in many other destinations,” he said.
Kenya is home to an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 people of Indian origin, formally recognized in 2017 as the country’s 44th tribe.
Indian culture — from Bollywood films to yoga — is widely embraced in Kenya, reinforcing what Swaika described as “a deep sense of familiarity” between the two societies.
Looking ahead, Swaika said the High Commission would prioritize economic cooperation, high-technology collaboration, cultural exchange and youth engagement.
He also called on the media to play a role in telling the evolving India-Kenya story, saying the relationship was “progressing rapidly” and poised for further strategic direction through upcoming high-level engagements.