# I. Introduction imely, India is an important partner not only for Africa but also for other third world nations too. The industrial tradition of India and quest for energy in one hand, and the extensively Africa's demands toward her products in the other, stand as key factors while enhancing the chances to gain foothold in economic prosperity and collaborative accord in economic, social and political developments. During the 1990s, economic liberation placed India in the world fastest growing economies. This makes India a Nigeria's key oil and energy consumer. India is located in South Asia with the total land of 3,287,590 square kilometer and population of nearly 1.3 billion (CIA, 2016). The country shares borders with Pakistan in the west, Nepal in the north, Bhutan and Bangladesh in the east, and Sri Lanka in the south. India is the populous country in the world second only after China and the ninth strongest economy with the total GDP of $2.251 trillion (CIA, 2016). The country has unbreakable democracy maintained since independence. Nigeria is in the other side, a country with abundant resources such as crude oil, natural gas, iron ore, coal, timber, cocoa, limestone, etc. Petroleum sector accounts for more than eighty percent of the country's GDP. This has eventually undermined other sources of income like agriculture that generated taxations for Nigeria in the 1960s. Nigeria is ranked 22 nd largest economy in the world with GDP of $532.5 billion (IMF, 2016). Several military interruptions that seized power by toppling democratically elected governments during the 1960s through the 1980s were among the causes, including corruption among the others that brought Nigeria's prospering economy to its knee. This country is the largest one in Africa and seventh in the world with around 180 million (CIA, 2016). It situated in West Africa, sharing borders with Niger Republic in the north, Cameroon and Chad in the east, Republic of Benin in the west and Atlantic Ocean in the south. As for the International Center for Trade and Sustainable Development; New Delhi's engagement is steadily becoming much clear in many sectors including in economic, health tourism, IT, cultural exchange and widely drama series and film industries. In Nigeria alone, India has so far invested in communication and energy sectors such as Aitel mobile company, hydrocarbon, gas, etc (ICTSD, 2015). However, large numbers of Nigerian entrepreneurs are trying businesses with Indian stuffs in local markets. The overarching force of cheap education alongside financial stipend offering by the Indian government make Indian universities much attractive and, thus a final destination for African students. Moreover, the undeniable neo-economic circumstances, which tacitly shape the reality of Nigeria's challenges, also identify India as a point of reference and autonomous strategy against Nigeria's shambolic economy and political disorder. An Indo-Africa tie is seen as symbiotic collaboration for both Indians and Africans. India in particular is cardinally important strategic nation in exporting and importing commodities from/to Africa. In crude oil alone, it is estimated that India imports around 21.5 of her total crude oil from Africa, and the largest supplier being Nigeria by June 2015 after India's deal with Nigeria misplaced Saudi Arabia and United States. The India's oil importation from Nigeria accounts around 200 percent with approximately 745,000 barrels per day. The popular India's non-alignment doctrine, democracy legacy and anti-colonialism remain a very strong signal of compatible collaboration not only with Nigeria but also with other African states at large. Both India and Nigeria are competing candidates of the permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council enlargement proposed by the former Secretary-General Kofi Annan. This said membership if granted, would first of all look after the regional interests of South Asia and Africa. Traditionally, it should serve the interests of India and Nigeria at the international level. Meanwhile, shared opportunities pave the way and forge new sectors of economic and political developments and chance a sound collaborative cocreativity between India and Nigeria. The central core of this study would have its basis on co-creating future on economic and political developments through the means of collaboration and capacity building measures. The existing bilateral agreements between India and Africa are checked-off on rotational basis during regular India-Africa forums. These sorts of agreements play significant contribution in keeping Indo-Africa relations updated. Thus the chances of free-market and low tariffs on Indian products are high. Seemingly, multiple incidences that happened during the last two-three years and current ones, i.e. trial of Niger Delta sniper (Henry Okah), deportation of hundreds of Nigerians out of the country coupled with the recent xenophobic attitudes demonstrated by South Africans against their continent men and women of Nigeria, and money laundering in the name of weapontrade dealing which has allegedly involved the leadership of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) are other determinant factors guide Nigeria-South Africa relations. South Africa is a home-base of large numbers of Indians since Mahatma Gandhi's sojourn. Throughout these decades, India and South Africa maintain unbreakable friendship, and that means a lot for Indo-Nigeria cooperation. This research will however, examine how much Sino-Nigeria trade pack reflects on Indo-Nigeria compatibility especially if Sino-India border issue is put into consideration. No doubt, diffusion and preferences given to Africa by both India and China in terms of trades and investments generate more challenges in this collaboration. The constant fluctuation of crude-oil price in the international market coupled with the internal turmoil of Niger-Delta militants provoke threat against Nigeria's revenue generating tradition, which simultaneously seems to drive India, whose her quest for energy is diversified to other OPEC members, thinks alternatively. This might result in decreasing Indian demand on mere oil and hydrocarbon to solar and other modern technologies and human-made energy generators. India-Nigeria collaboration could make such sort of challenge to work for their respective national interests. Creating future through the means of collaborative perspective between India and Nigeria is a key issue and symbol of progress not only on the area of trades and investments, but also on variously different factors. Dozens of Indian private companies are being welcomed by Nigerian local markets. By so doing, the roots of this collaboration is feasibly assessed. The factual reality is that in the postcolonial era, Nigeria is, throughout its puberty and premature periods faced by a lot of harsh realities in different geopolitical zones. These realities are combination of materialistic and ideological related circumstances. Materialistically, corruption is the most deadly perilous reality that has been paralysing Nigeria since independence. This is not just because of its heavy blow against economy, social or political developments, but also because it becomes a traditional way of attaining or maintaining. Corruption has been, for so long championing regulating affairs in Nigeria. Ideologically, in the name of religion, resources control, political mandates or self-determination the country, since 1980s is undergoing different types of radicalization severely. Separately, each could turn it into civil war. Recently, the Nigeria's ideological insurgencies are Boko Haram in the northeast, Biafarans in the southeast and Niger-Delta Avengers in the south-south. Hence, Security ties between India and Nigeria is highly cardinal. The Nigeria's potentials in hydrocarbon resources in one hand, and India's quest over those resources in the other can passively and or actively boost up Indo-Nigeria collaboration. Nevertheless, this initiative could -in its capacity -ameliorate the effect of vandalism and bombardment in Nigeria. Therein, more secured Nigeria will be realized, and therefore the India's long traditional rummage for energy especially in Nigeria is brought more adjacent with certain. Security ties between India and Nigeria is not new. India, in 1964 (four years after Nigeria's political freedom) played a vital role in establishing Nigeria's National Defence Academy (NDA) in Kaduna, the then capital of administration of northern region. Between 1964 and 1973 Indian team trained first admitted applicants to the college. In October, 2007 India and Nigeria signed MoU cooperation on defence and other related issues. Over the time, the bilateral agreements between the two sides extensively focus on security especially piracy, terrorism, and intelligence sharing. Training institutes of both respective nations play role through different means of collaboration such as visits and meetings. The first Joint Defence Coordination Committee (JDCC) meeting on its kind held in New Delhi somewhere in 2013 and the second one was held in May, 2014 in Abuja (Indian High Comm. Abuja, 2017). In terms of mineral and natural resources, it is estimated that Africa, as a continent, has closer to 30 percent of the global mineral resources, nearly 10 percent of the planet oil and 8 percent of gas reserves. The symbiotic accord between India and Nigeria is, of course, expected to account for the greater contribution in it. India proves its suitability to ideally help Nigeria exploit its natural resources. With the Nigeria's easy access to the abundant undiscovered natural resources laid in the northern region, India is expected to play a significant role in addressing the rising need for the global desires. Parenthetically, this paper aims at discovering variety of sectors that could strengthen relations between India and Nigeria in particular, and India-Africa at large. However, the paper sets to explore the roles that this collaboration played in establishing sustainable economy and bankability between the two sides. It is however to examine to which extent this collaboration is fruitful. # II. Theoretical Framework This study is guided by globalization and interdependence theories so to encompass multiple trends of collaboration including expanding international trade, telecommunications, monetary coordination, multinational corporations, technical and scientific cooperation, cultural exchanges of new types and scale, migration and refugee flows, and relations between rich and poor countries (Goldstein and Pevehouse, 2009). The terminological concept of globalization described as "widening, deepening and speeding up of worldwide interconnectedness in all aspects of contemporary social life" (Held, Anthony, et all, 1999). According to Cusimano, three concepts compete to describe globalization: First of them is the view sees globalization as a fruition of liberal economic principles. A global marketplace has brought growth and prosperity. This economic process has made traditional states obsolete as economic units. States are thus losing authority to supranational institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Union (EU), and to transnational actors such as MNCs and NGOs. The old North-South division is seen as less important, because the global South is moving in divergent directions depending on countries' and regions' integration with world markets (Cusimano, 1999). Second view doubts on the claims about globalization especially the one that world's major economies are no more integrated today than before World War I. The third view considers globalization as more profound than the sceptics believe, yet more uncertain than the view of supporters of liberal economies (Rosenau, 2003). Globalization diffuses authority. State power is not so much strengthened or weakened by globalization, but transformed to operate in new contexts with new tools. Likewise, scholars debate these conceptions of globalization, popular debates focus on the growing power of large corporations operating globally, the disruptive costs associated with joining world market, the perception of growing disparities between rich and poor, and the collusion of national governments in these wrongs through their participation in International Organizations (IOs) (Goldstein and Pevehouse, 2009: 19-20). A globalized world is the one in which political, economic, cultural, and social events become interconnected more deeply and more impact. Nevertheless, societies are affected more extensively and deeply by events of other societies (Baylis, Smith and Owens, 2011:09-11). Globalization and inter connectedness are favoured to guide this research simply because the pace of economic transformation is so great that it has created a new world politics. Trade and finances are expanding and economy is more interdependent than ever before (Ibid). # III. Africa and The Global South Many works that have been done in this area have so far proved that Africa is at high capacity in terms of boosting economy of different parts of the world dominantly the colonial ones, especially during the tour of civilization carried out by European whites. Africa was thus author of economic prosperity of mostly modern advanced nations especially in the post-World War II. Notwithstanding human and natural resources Africa has, the kind of leadership of born to rule, and do or die sentimentalism try to bring Africa's economy to its knee. Trade and economic and even political collaboration between India and Africa would inspire and or drive the influence of success for both societies. Nigeria at top in human and natural resources in Africa kicks to measure prospective success of the collaboration. Generally, African nations are directly making gigantic contribution to the India's economy through trade and investment. In medical tourism alone, India generates a huge amount of income annually from African tourists diversified to various ranges: visas, hospitals, accommodations and even mobile connections and recharge cards while in India are all income-generating ways that India benefits from Africa directly. Over the course of cheapness and easy accessibility, Africans make India a final destination in order to acquire academic qualifications both under and postgraduate studies. Similarly, except for medical that fall below average since the emergence of India. Europe and United States account for big percentage of Africa's resources since 1900s onward. Most of the first Africa's leaders and nationalists such as Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere, Awolowo, and many more were trained in Western universities. The colonialism left behind the legacy of inspiration that assimilates largely African societies until today. The Gandhian traditional approach of peaceful resistance against colonialism coupled with the Nehronean non-Alignment movement had very much helped in the sustainability of realizing dream of freedom in Africa at large. The struggle to tackle the perilous catastrophe of racist Apartheid in South Africa which both of India and Nigeria have strove and go side-by-side to see South Africa through democracy and true liberalism. During pre-independent India, Gandhi resided in South Africa at some point of his life perhaps that remained the source of his emotionalism toward Africa. Africa as a continent with over 53 different countries utterly represent by disparate histories, cultures and orientations. Hence, the continent is mistakenly being treated as single entity especially by South Asia region and other parts of the world. # IV. South-South and Foreign Direct Investment According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) World Investment Report of 2016, the investors were more confidence to invest in North Africa region as Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows rose by nearly 9% to invest around US$12.6 billion in 2015 alone. Owing to the better investment in Egypt, where FDI flows increased by 49% to estimate US$ 6.9 billion, much of the growth had eventually realized. In telecommunication sector, Egypt bagged sizable investments by the United Kingdom's Eaton Towers who purchased Mobile Towers Services. As for Morocco, despite the region-wide political upheavals, Morocco witnessed sizable FDI flow of about US$3.2 in 2015. Throughout Africa, Morocco remains the country that serves as a major manufacturing basement for foreign direct investors. As a result of slump investment in Nigeria, the largest economy in the region perhaps, due to the ongoing scattered crises: Boko Haram in the populous north, Niger Delta militant in the south, and lack of sufficient electricity, the FDI inflows to West Africa subregion relatively declined by some 18 percent to approximately US$ 9.9 billion. The recent faltering local currency and sluggish delays in major projects such as multibillion-dollar offshore oil operation ratified with Royal Dutch Shell, the FDI flows to Nigeria cut into 110% (from US$ 4.7 billion in 2014 down to US$ 3.1) in 2015. In contrast, the Africa's traditional FDI recipients such as Egypt and Nigeria register significant growth. Egypt upticks from US$ 6.9 to 7.5 billion, and Nigeria increased from US$ 3.1 in 2015 to US$ 4 billion in 2016 (UNCTAD, 2017). In one hand, it's clear that India's growth is not so dependent on growth in the West, regardless with the question of globalization. As so, India attentively paid more attention toward strengthening energetic relations and building capacity with more than one country in Africa. It has also stepped up its efforts to gain an economic foothold in Africa in a new scramble with China for the continent's resources, signing energetic dealings with top oil producers: Angola and Nigeria to enable her attaining its goal through the pointed period of time. Additionally, the Indian stock markets have been hit by the global financial crisis of recent 2009. India's growing service sector and manufacturing sector would be adversely impacted by a global downturn (Kura, 2009: 8-10). In South Asia sub-region, India has since when the new Government come to power, contributed in attracting the rising flows of FDI from all quarters. This increased by about 22% totalling US$ 50 billion, exceeding West Asia's stake. In developing Asia's nations, India is the fourth largest beneficiary of FDI and the world's tenth with the inflows of around US$ 44 billion (UNCTAD, 2016). Like in Africa, in South Asia sub-region, the dominant investor dropped by more than one-third to US$ 7.5 billion resulting overall 36% decline of outflows from Sub-region to US$ 8 billion in 2014 (UNCTAD, 2016). The above analysis demonstrates the potential chances for successful collaboration in realizing future economic prosperity and business attractions. However, it bridges India and Africa in decline model in terms of FDI flows in the last three years. Likewise, both India and Nigeria have in particular, attained some certain degrees of increase in their respective FDI flows during the last two year-time. These similarities in terms of flows of FDI serve as bridge toward Indo-Nigeria concrete to directly propose and shape new future, which could lay down progressive approach for South-South economic and social development. # V. Indo-Nigeria Relations: Historical Overview Both India and Nigeria are former British colonies. Indeed, diplomatic and economic relations between the two sovereignties predated their political independence, and thus relations between them have their fertility in anti-colonial sentiment. Henceforth, this provided an impetus and modus operandi for Nigerian nationalists in their struggles for independence. The Indian struggle for independence was particularly significant for Nigeria because India was a non-Caucasian nation. It was also the oldest of all the tropical dependencies of Britain, as it led the way in the struggle for independence; thus, it acted as one of the stimuli in the growth of national consciousness in many of the Afro-British colonies including Nigeria. The belief was that the international balance of forces would have force the colonial powers to end their colonial dominations. In fact, this marked the beginning of political interaction between India and Nigeria. Apart from the colonialist struggles in general, which perhaps, acted as a metaphorical midwife for the two countries' earlier political interactions, the thinking, passion and philosophy of the people of India, including Mahatma Ghandi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Bose, influenced pioneering Nigerian nationalists and politicians. This admiration had been well highlighted in first ruling generation of Nigeria. Therefore, it was not surprising when Awolowo became the Premier of the Nigerian Western Region in 1952; his first foreign trip was to India. Emphatically, the "language of the Nigerian nationalists in the early years of the movement was reminiscent of the language employed by the nationalists leaders" in India. The Nigerian nationalists also borrowed tactics from the Indian Nationalist Congress (Kura, 2009: 03). India's success in achieving independence in August 1947 has greatly influenced Nigeria. This is because as a result of independence, India became a sovereign state, and henceforth a member of the United Nations (UN) and Commonwealth. It was on the grounds of having suffered colonial onslaught that India championed the course of decolonization and eradication of racial discrimination. Upon attainment of independence in October 1960, Nigeria became a member of the Commonwealth, the UN and the Non-Aligned Movement, among other international groups. Under the auspices of these international organizations, as well as through individual efforts, both Nigeria and India have fought colonialism and racial discrimination in Africa and other parts of the world. Acknowledging the pre-and post-independence influence of India on Nigeria, President Shehu Shagari expounded in a visit to India in 1983 that: "We come to salute India, the largest democracy in the world. We also come to learn from India, as we have been learning, beginning from the example of your [India's] great Mahatma Ghandi, the greatest hero of all colonial peoples throughout modern history. The moral force of his [Ghandi's] passive resistance philosophy ultimately led to victory. This has been the source of inspiration to all of us [as colonial appendages] and has guided us in our own struggles to achieve our own freedom from colonialism and exploitation. We also watched with interest the achievement of your republican status within the Commonwealth. We followed your example and your model" (Kura, 2009: 03). Handsomely, this was the concrete foundation upon which the relations between India and Nigeria were formally enacted. Furthermore, these two countries have cordially maintained the bilateral agreements from pre-colonial era until today. # VI. Economic and Trade Phase Economic relations are among the utmost aspects of the country's international political agenda. As political and social interactions began between India and Nigeria ever since before attaining independence, economic and trading ties also putted into significant considerations as early 1923 in pre-independence time, when India launch K. Chellaram trading company, since then, the formal economic relations start to play key role between the two countries. From the year 1923 till date, the economic relations between India and Nigeria have maintained to prove the given title. However, the gross amount of trade between them as per 2008-09 reached $10.2 billion, which fell to only $8.7 billion in 2009-10 owing to the global recession. The India's export to Nigeria was dominated by manufactured items such as machinery and instruments, pharmaceuticals, electronics, transport equipment etc. (Indian High Commission, Abuja, 2010). # VII. Indo-Nigeria Capacity Building About 40 percent of the commercial fuels that power the industries contemporarily world are oil, and nearly 30 percent of that is coal, while 25 percent coming from gas, hydroelectric and nuclear contributes 5 percent. The fossil fuels include Oil, Gas and Coal; have the shares of 95 percent of the world's energy consumptions. All of the three are massively exist in Nigeria. Though some energy consumption for electrification is coming from hydroelectric dams or nuclear power plants, but still most of that however, it comes from burning fossil fuels. Additionally, the Indian traditional blocks are mostly concrete from burning coal (Mark Zacher, 1993). Bilateral trade between the two countries has been in the vicinity of around $3 billion in just 2003-04. However, in 2008 it reached $8 billion thus making Nigeria the largest trading partner of India in the African continent. India's exports to Nigeria have shown a healthy upward trend and grew from US$293.71 million in 1999-2000 to $644 million in 2004-2005 and $902 million in 2006-07. Traditionally, balance of trade has been in Nigeria's favour, mainly because of large Indian imports of crude oil and the amount of trade deficit that dependent on the price of oil. Oil constitutes more than 96% of Indian imports from Nigeria. However, India has also emerged the 4 th largest destination for Nigerian non-oil exports. In a recent official visit paid by Nigerian Foreign Minister, Henry Ajumogobia to New Delhi in first quarter of 2011 held a discussion on trading and other related issues, in which India plans to invest in Nigeria's growing natural gas industry through its state-run companies. Eric Yep mentioned (in Wall Street online Journal, 2011) that, the world's second-fasted growing major economy (India) wants to raise crude oil imports from Nigeria to 18 million metric tons a year from 2012-13 onwards, compared with 13.2 million tons in 2010. Accordingly, India is interested in tying up Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) imports from Nigeria immediately, as the country's requirement of LNG is projected to increase from 8.91 million tons in 2009-10 to 12-15 million tons a year in the foreseeable future. India's increasing of fossil fuel imports from Nigeria coincides with the Arab Spring in Middle East, which put oil supply from the region at risk. This has attracted countries such as India, which imports about 80 percent of its crude oil requirements, to diversify sources of fuel supply. In the other hand Nigeria LNG has an export capacity of 22 million tons a year. Its shareholders include Nigerian National Petroleum Corp (NNPC), with 49 percent stake; Shell Gas BV, a unit of Royal Dutch Shell PLC with 25.6 percent. Already GAIL India has submitted a proposal to participate in Nigeria's Gas Master Plan Project, along with other petrochemical and city gas distribution projects in Nigeria. The project is designed to open up commercial gas exploration and boost economic development in the African nations. IX. India's main Imports from Nigeria # VIII. India-Nigeria Bilateral Trade Statistics Crude oil, metal scrap, wood, cashew nuts, iron and steel, cotton and gum Arabic are among the large trading items that imports by India. In 2006 only, India imported crude oil from Nigeria worth US$ 5218.24 million. However, a large number of Indian companies have footprints in Nigeria, which have made substantial investments in Nigeria. Bilateral annual trade turnover was over $ 8.7 billion in 2009-10, and during first nine months of 2010-11, i.e. April-Dec 2010, 59 percent growth was registered, the details are as bellow: Nigeria is a major oil producing country. Its reserves are currently around 30 billion barrels and are estimated to rise to 40 billion barrels by 2010. In end-November 2005, with the commencement of production at the Bonga Oil Field, Nigeria's daily output rose to 2.63 million bpd which of late has gone down due to unrest in the region. India's interest in Nigeria's oil sector has three components: term contract for crude purchase, participation in the upstream sector and refineries. In 2005, there have been several significant developments in India-Nigeria hydrocarbons cooperation. An Inter-Ministerial Task Force of the Government of India visited Nigeria in November 2005. At the conclusion of the discussions, a MoU was signed between ONGC-Mittal Energy Ltd (OMEL) and the Nigerian Government for a US$ 6 billion oil-forinfrastructure deal. The essence of the MoU is sourcing of 450,000 BPD of equity oil and 200,000 BPD per day equity gas [totalling 650,000 BPD oil + oil equivalent and gas -equivalent to 32.5 MT] per year over 25 years. On its part, India will assist Nigeria in the establishment of a 2000 MW thermal power plant, a refinery and upgrade its railway infrastructure. In May 2006, OMEL was awarded two oil blocs. The visit of the Inter-Ministerial Task Force was preceded by the visit of a similar team from Nigeria, led by its Minister of State for Petroleum Dr. Edmund Daukoru, to India in October 2005. Earlier, in March 2005, an Indian Petroleum delegation led by Shri Talmiz Ahmad, Additional Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs and comprising representatives from MEA, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, ONGC Videsh and IOC visited Nigeria. Some other Indian companies like ESSAR & STERLING have been allocated oil blocs in May 2007. In the upstream sector, ONGC Videsh (OVL) won a 15% stake in Block II of the Joint Development Zone (JDZ) of Nigeria and Sao Tome Principe. Separately, OVL is making efforts to acquire some other oil blocks in Nigeria (ONGC, 2005). Traditionally, Nigeria has been a major supplier of crude oil to India, mostly bought on the spot market. In May 2005, Indian Oil Corporation and NNPC agreed on a contract for NNPC to supply 40,000 BPD to IOC. However in end 2007 the contracted supply was increased to 60,000 BPD. The Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) is discussing setting up a refinery in Edo State. Some Indian private sector oil companies, e.g., Essar, Mittal Investments etc are also pursuing refinery projects in Nigeria. A high level delegation from Nigeria visited India to attend India -Africa Hydrocarbon Conference from November 6-7, 2007. Indian companies have sizeable investments in textiles, chemicals, electrical equipment, pharmaceuticals, plastics, fishing etc. The first Indian company, viz. K. Chellaram Company, was set up in Nigeria in 1923. India has assisted Nigeria through 46 ( F ) transfer of technology, machinery and expertise in the form of joint ventures and consultancy services. Nigeria is the largest destination in Africa of Indian manufactured products. Nigeria also imports more Indian pharmaceuticals than any other country in the African continent. Trade turnover continues to grow, including in computer components and software services, with large potential for Indian project exports in railways, power generation and electricity transmission, telecommunications, defence and machine tools (Ngozi Sams, 2010). Petroleum India International (PII) has been involved in the maintenance of Port Harcourt and Warri oil refineries through the provision of technical manpower and training of Nigerian engineers. PII is also involved in the disinvestments of the National Oil Company. India and Nigeria have been discussing finalization of bilateral agreements for strengthening economic cooperation. These include the Trade Agreement, BIPA and DTAA. These agreements are likely to be finalized soon. # X. Indo-Africa Model Partnership for Inclusive Progress: Case of Nigeria Indian authorities centrally focus on trade and financial inclusion. The diversification of India's economy cannot be ignored locally and even in international markets. Population density serves as driving factor and key indicator of consumption. Alternatively, the Indian government as a result, stands in need with high amount of industries including FDI so to manage unemployment rate and generate income taxations. Africa is relatively lagged behind especially in the economic and political spheres. African countries are in abject poverty, high rate of infant mortality, malnutrition and poor health condition. Thus Africa needs modern technologies and infrastructures that could give and facilitate good working environment for creativity and sustainable development. Perhaps, such a nature could be in good position to guide Indo-Africa Partnership in considerably chief areas in economic and social development including academic and cultural exchange, poverty reduction. Both India and Africa have massive land used in flora and fauna. India successes in green land revolution, irrigational type of agriculture and forestry, together with similar efforts put India in better position to mobilize capacity and cooperate with Africa for mutual progress and sustainability. Africa popularly known by huge local resources and agro-climate nature, helplessly, in converting those resources into value-added products so to make their economy strong and reliable, are in debility. Nevertheless, insufficient capital, skilled manpower, infrastructure, transformation and logistic nature that could bolster successful businesses are never adequately available. These challenges hinder Africa to hasten and yield industrial development in the continent. Thus, India set to partner Africa on bilateral socioeconomic programs in consultation with Indian National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) in technological sector, transfer and commercialization. Between 2001 and 2013 the two-way trade and investment between India and Africa grown with around 700 billion dollars other sectors like technical cooperation and Information Technology (IT) training play special roles in expanding mutual interests in a decade and a half, New Delhi commitment to promote policy, which can regulate economic ties and cultural exchange are getting more attraction by both of Indian as well as African government (Sidiropoulos and Alden, 2015). Manmohan Singh during his prime ministerial assignment multiplied and strengthened India Africa collaboration guided by dual interests of the two sides. Notwithstanding Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s different manifestos; Narendra Modi (currently the incumbent prime minister under platform of BJP, elected on May, 2014) continues to realize the ancient traditional dream in terms of Indo-Africa collaborative union. Moreover, to testify building capacity measure with African nations and to earn more economic might in the global south, India diversifies its economy concentrating on individual African nations based on the resources they have which stand fitfully with India's energy demands through diplomatic ties or other apt means of intergovernmental approaches. India never applied uniform policy in its deals with Africa. The policy it has in trade and investment, cultural exchange or diplomacy is varies from country to country. Nigeria with its largely vast petroleum reserves remains the India's biggest partner in building energy capacity in Africa. That perhaps set Nigeria to not stand in favour to actively seek large amount of direct foreign aid. Whereas low-income countries received average of $10.20 per capita in 1991, in which Nigeria received only $2.60 at the same year, a mere of around 0.8 percent of GNP. At the same moment, Nigeria used its oil reserves as the collateral for massive borrowing from foreign and international banks in the 1970s and 1980s. The funds supported massive capital expenditure, and gave Nigeria an enormous external debt, which rose from 10 percent of GNP to 140.05 percent between 1980 and 1995. Oil wealth did not bring the country financial independence; quite the contrary, the debt gives international leaders a predominant voice in Nigeria's allocation in public funding. For a long time, Nigeria, the country of nearly 183 million people, has been considered as a role player and the most populous nation in Africa, enjoys resources in abandon. Parvathu Vasudevan (2010: 03) added that with these features Nigeria desires to replace South Africa and become the continent's economic powerhouse; between1995-2005, Foreign Direct Volume XIX Issue III Version I 47 ( F ) Investment (FDI) flows into Nigeria increased from $1.27 billion to $3.4 billion, and spiked to nearly $6 billion by 2006. In 2007, with an economic growth rate of 6.3 percent, Nigeria was rated in the top twelve of emerging-market economies. Many African observers believe that despite the country's unpredictability potentially the country is capable of enjoying significant economic growth and is worth doing business with. Prominently, India is among the world largest democracy leading the third world nations. Over the last one decade or so, India emerges as one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Apart from diplomatic and trade relations, both Nigeria and India are members of the Commonwealth of Nations, G77 and non-Alignment Movement, as they also share and support democratic system of government. Both of them are contenders for permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council in its reform agenda to expand veto-power memberships. The energy sector concretely knots India and Nigeria through various co-operations and building capacity measures. XI. Nigeria and 'India-Africa Forum Summit' In April, 2008 India and Africa make the first round of their getting together known as India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) in New Delhi, the India's central administration. The Forum has subsequently, been held in 2013 and October, 2015. India-Africa Forum concentrates on several key issues most of which have to do with Indian-African interests. For the past three decades or so, Nigeria has reluctantly been the homebase of multiple insurgent terrorist groups that seemingly pose a challenge and insecurity across geopolitical zones. The most disturbing one is the current Boko Haram based in the Northeast geopolitical location. Expanding collaboration as for Sidiropoulos (2015) between India and [Nigeria] would be of high important not only on economy, trade and investment, and polity but also on radicalization and extremism in the area. The Forum will be an adding advantage for both India and Africa in tackling the act of insurgency in Nigeria's land. Nigeria's fragile politics is perhaps, the main factor instigates Boko Haram and encumbers proposed solution against the atrocities to be placed on ground. The October, 2015 summit held in Delhi strategized to focus on some key areas to ensure effective transformation of over 2.3 billion lives of peoples of Africa and India out of 180 million persons are Nigerians and 1.3 billion citizens are Indians. The summit being attended by 54 African representatives out of whom 41 were heads of states including Nigeria and African Union (AU). The declaration of the summit enshrines some 34 point agendas covering ranges of different areas of cooperation that both sides should work on altogether (Ray, 2015). # XII. Areas of Collaboration All of the sectors mentioned above are cardinal to Nigeria especially in maintaining its stance in international Politics. India and some other counted numbers of African nations including Nigeria are bidding for the permanent seat in the Security Council of the United Nations. The reform of the UNSC is being proposed by Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General of the Organization in between 1997 and 2006. These are partly some of the most important interrelated issues, which could drive and simultaneously maintain Indo-Africa economic boosting and socio-political integrity forever. Another influencing point where both India and Nigeria beguile one another -apart from trade and investment and diplomacy -is coincidental concerns in their foreign policy in the global governance. In order for India and Nigeria to secure a greater voice and of course, decision-making legitimacy at global level, both countries stressed out the immediate need to rescue UNSC that suffers from scarcity of democratically representation from India-Subcontinent and Africa whose population is relatively large (Beri, 2011). General Assembly of the United Nations, according to Global Policy Forum (GPF) began debate on reforming Security Council, an organ of the Organization in 1993. This move served as initiative that guided several models which were viable options. Many countries were attracted to put forward their candidature against the permanent membership of the Security Council. The implication is that the Security Council looks after more secured and safer world but fails to represent world geopolitical realities. Africa and Latin America lack permanent representative in the Council even though they account for huge population compared to the Europe, which is overrepresented as they bag 20 percent of the Permanent membership (P5), and therefore, not want see their domination attenuated. As a result, over two decades, a very little progress has been made in this regard in spite of multiple proposals that have been justifiably suggested. The core concerning issues in the Council reform are extending the numbers of membership, The summit concentrates on some strategic areas concerning progress of both India and Africa such as United Nations Security Council (UNSC) reform; climate change; defence and security; trade and investment ties; renewable energy; blue economy; technology and innovation; health sector; then cultural and educational exchanges. These are the wrought priorities upon which Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and African leaders agreed. © 2019 Global Journals India-Nigeria Collaboration: A South-South Perspectives Year 2019 © 2019 Global Journals India-Nigeria Collaboration: A South-South Perspectives working methods and veto so to ensure transparency and credibility in the Council's resolutions. In spite of the P5 opposition against the proposed extension as United States supports India while France agreed with the candidacy of Africa (GPF, 2016). India seems to win strategic concern by the United States whereupon in terms of support, Nigeria's bidding is yet perplexed in nature simply because France's backing on Africa might critically be crucial to Francophone Africa. But it is all grist to the mill when it comes to the issue of representation. Nigeria is highly important in Africa and, thus in international politics. It could not be point, but it is true that Nigeria contributes with reasonable in Africa's economy more than any individual French speaking African nation. It is the populous nation, economically strong in spite of domestic strife, socially and politically motivated. As India bags United States support in her bidding, to have Nigeria side by side in the Council would definitely serve good for India. As far as security is concerned, presence of India and Nigeria in the Security Council would help Africa and subsequently Asia to overcome the challenges they face for many decades. It would then make both regions more reliable for businesses and entrepreneurships, advance political stability and free movements of persons. Surprisingly, Brazil, Germany and Japan placed themselves in this ladder but gained no enough support to ascend steep path up the seats. ## XIII. Conclusion India and Nigeria both represent a cardinal growth poles in contemporarily global issues especially in economic and political spheres. Individually, the two nations remain on strategic areas in their respective regions. In its side, India is, in the first instance, considered the largest democracy with no history of military interruption since independence. Parenthetically, within the frame of South Asia sub-region, India is the largest democracy, and thus crucially important economically and politically. Considerably, due to the agrarian nature of Indian society, around 80% of its huge population lives, thrives and relies on agriculture. Indian farmers as for Rizvi are dependent on erratic monsoon, which could very possible cause disastrous damages against human settlement through floods or droughts. With modern technologies and machineries, Indian government put all her efforts together to improve irrigation, varieties of seeds and petroleum-based fertilizer (Rizvi, 1993). This has indeed helped much as agricultural output provides India with more success in raising living standard of common citizens. Regionally, Nigeria is a country in West Africa sub-region and one of the fifteen ECOWAS member countries. Like India, Nigeria is the Africa's populous nation and largest Black Country in the world. 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