 "PM Modi's Africa tour: Key agendas on the table")
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in South Africa on Friday as part of his five-day, four-nation Africa tour aimed at enhancing ties with those countries, particularly in the economic sphere.
The prime minister has already concluded the first leg of his tour in Mozambique. After South Africa, he will go to Tanzania and Kenya.
During his South Africa visit, Modi will meet President Jacob Zuma and also Cyril Ramaphosa, the deputy President.
"My Africa tour, aimed at enhancing ties between India & Africa will begin from Mozambique in a brief but key visit," Modi tweeted ahead of his departure.
"My programmes in South Africa will span across Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban & Pietermaritzburg," he added.
Here are the priorities of the PM's tour:
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1) Boosting business ties with South Africa: Ahead of Modi's arrival in South Africa, the country's foreign minister on Thursday said the visit would cement and strengthen the excellent relations that exist between the two countries.
Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, said one of the key objectives of Modi's visit would be to enhance commercial and business relations between the two countries and to promote contact between each other's private sectors.
"In this regard, a Chief Executive Officers' Forum and a South Africa-India Business Forum are planned to be held during the visit to facilitate business opportunities," she said.
"South Africa will also be exploring ways in which to increase and diversify our exports to India by identifying new areas of market access in areas including the defence sector, deep mining, renewable energy and the health sector," said the minister.
In January this year, Nkoana-Mashabane had said that her country wanted to increase the volume of bilateral trade with India to $20 billion by 2018 from the current $15 billion.
2) Pulses from Mozambique: Giving details in Facebook posts, the prime minister said the aim of his visit to Mozambique, the first destination in his tour, is to increase cooperation and boost cultural linkages.
"I will meet President Filipe Nyusi and hold extensive talks with him," he said.
In June this year, to tame spiralling prices of pulses, the government had sent a high-level delegation to Mozambique to explore short and long-term measures to import the commodity on a government-to-government basis.
On Thursday, Modi and Nyusi witnessed the signing of agreements in areas of drug trafficking, pulse trading and sports between India and Mozambique.
According to the agreement on pulses, India will encourage greater production of pulses in Mozambique with an assurance that it will be purchased by India at a mutually-agreed price. While India generally has a shortfall of pulses leading to price rise, Mozambique grows the commodity without much consumption locally, officials said, adding the agreement will be a "win-win" for the two countries.
Last month, the Union Cabinet cleared a proposal to enter into an agreement with Mozambique for importing 100,000 tonnes of pulses in 2016-17 with an option to scale it up to 200,000 tonnes by 2020-2021. The agreement will promote production of pigeon peas or tur in Mozambique.
3) 'Solar Mamas' in Tanzania: According to Modi's post on his official Facebook page, he will reach Tanzania on Sunday in what he has described as a "brief but crucial visit to give an impetus to ties with Tanzania, a valued friend in Africa".
Modi said that he would hold extensive talks with Tanzanian President Dr John Magufuli to chalk out a road-map for bettering relations between the two nations in a "wide range of areas".
In keeping with India's commitment to promoting solar energy around the world under the International Solar Alliance, the prime minister will also be meeting the ‘Solar Mamas’, "a group of rural women solar engineers from Africa" who have been trained under programmes supported by the Indian government. The engineers in question have been trained to fabricate, install, use, repair and maintain solar lanterns and household solar lighting systems in their villages.
Of course, in what has now become a hallmark of his visits, the prime minister will also meet the Indian community in the country as well.
4) Harnessing India-Kenya potential: The prime minister will conclude his tour in Kenya, which he will reach on Sunday evening itself. According to his Facebook post, Modi will hold deliberations with President Uhuru Kenyatta on how bilateral cooperation between the two countries can grow.
"I envision better trade, commercial and cultural exchanges between India and Kenya. The potential is immense and together we seek to harness it," wrote Modi in the post.
The India-Kenya Business Forum meeting is also on his agenda.
The prime minister will also be interacting with the Kenyan student community. "A programme that I am keenly looking forward to join is an interaction with students at the Nairobi University," Modi wrote.
The prime minister will also address the Indian diaspora there in a community programme.