Liberia and several African countries are set to join India for a major development and investment engagement as New Delhi prepares to host the Fourth India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS-IV), a high-level gathering aimed at strengthening strategic, economic and technological cooperation between India and the African continent.
The summit will take place in New Delhi on May 31, 2026, bringing together heads of state, senior government officials, the African Union Commission, and regional economic communities under the theme “India-Africa Strategic Partnership for Innovation, Resilience, and Inclusive Transformation.”
Speaking during a media briefing in Monrovia, India’s Ambassador to Liberia, Manoj Bihari Verma, described the upcoming summit as a defining moment in bilateral relations between India and Africa, noting that it marks the first such gathering in over a decade.
“This will be the first such summit in over a decade and a defining moment in India-Africa relations,” Ambassador Verma said.
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The India-Africa Forum Summit, last held in New Delhi in October 2015, is returning after an 11-year hiatus during which both India and African states have undergone significant political, economic, and technological shifts. Officials say the renewed engagement reflects changing global realities, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and evolving geopolitical dynamics.
For African countries, including Liberia, the summit is expected to provide a platform for expanding partnerships in industrialization, digital transformation, infrastructure development, climate resilience, and trade. India, now one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies, is positioning itself as a key development partner for Africa through what it describes as a “consultative and demand-driven” cooperation model.
“When IAFS was established in 2008, it represented a bold vision, a platform for India and Africa to engage as true partners in development, solidarity and in shaping a more just and multipolar world,” Ambassador Verma said.
He emphasized that the renewed summit framework is intended to align directly with Africa’s development priorities rather than impose external policy directions.
The summit programme will begin on May 28, 2026, with a Senior Officials Meeting, followed by the India-Africa Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on May 29, before culminating in the Leaders’ Summit on May 31.
Alongside the official diplomatic sessions, India will host an India-Africa Business Dialogue and Exhibition designed to expand trade, investment flows, and private-sector partnerships. Cultural diplomacy will also feature prominently through an India-Africa Dance and Music Festival organized by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.
The agenda for the summit is expected to cover key areas including political cooperation, peace and security, economic transformation, education, digital public infrastructure, artificial intelligence, climate action, connectivity, and cultural exchange.
Since the last summit in 2015, India has significantly expanded its diplomatic presence across Africa, opening 17 new embassies, including its mission in Monrovia in 2021. India now operates 46 diplomatic missions across the continent; a development officials say reflects long-term strategic commitment to Africa.
For Liberia, participation in the summit is expected to deepen already growing bilateral cooperation with India in areas such as education, health, technical training, and development assistance.
Ambassador Verma highlighted recent engagements between the two countries, including the visit of an Indian parliamentary delegation to Liberia in 2025 and the first India-Liberia UN Consultations held in New Delhi later that year.
He also noted that more than 150 Liberians participated in Indian training and scholarship programs in 2025, covering fields such as nursing, mining safety, trauma care, public administration, and media studies.
Additional areas of cooperation include cultural exchange and health sector collaboration, including Liberia’s participation in India’s Surajkund International Crafts Mela and a pharmacopoeia cooperation agreement aimed at strengthening medicine quality regulation in Liberia.
Immediately after the India-Africa Forum Summit, India will host another major global engagement, the inaugural International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) Summit on June 1, 2026. The initiative, launched by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2023, focuses on the conservation of seven major big cat species, including lions, leopards, tigers, and cheetahs.
Liberia, which ratified the IBCA Framework Agreement in January 2025, is among 25 member countries expected to participate in the conservation initiative. More than 400 conservationists, policymakers, and government representatives from 95 big cat range countries are expected at the summit, where delegates will adopt the “Delhi Declaration,” described as the first global framework dedicated to big cat conservation.
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Ambassador Verma said Liberia’s participation in both summits reflects the growing strength of India-Africa relations and Africa’s increasing role in shaping global development and environmental discussions.
He urged journalists and stakeholders to view the summits as more than diplomatic events, saying they carry direct relevance for African development priorities.
“As we approach these important events, I invite journalists and opinion leaders to view and cover these summits not as distant diplomatic occasions, but as developments with real significance for Liberia, Africa and the future of South-South cooperation,” he said.
He added that the return of the India-Africa Forum Summit after more than a decade represents “a season of renewal” in relations between India and Africa and an opportunity to redefine global cooperation in a changing world.