Challenges Africa Faces Today

Speaker: Amb. Gurjit Singh, India’s former Ambassador to Ethiopia and the African Union
Chair: Shri Shyam Saran, President, IIC

Welcome Address: Suhas Borker, Convener, Working Group on Alternative Strategies
Closing Address: H.E. Mr. Joel Sibusiso Ndebele, High Commissioner of South Africa

A career diplomat, Amb. Gurjit Singh is one of India’s foremost experts on African affairs. Amb. Gurjit Singh was posted as Deputy High Commissioner of India to Kenya (1995-2000); India’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and African Union (2005-2009); and he headed the undivided Africa division at the Ministry of External Affairs in 2001-2002 and was later Additional Secretary and Sherpa for the second India-Africa Summit 2009-2012. He has also served as India’s Ambassador to Indonesia, ASEAN and German. Amb. Gurjit Singh is Honorary Professor of International Studies at IIT-Indore; and is the author of the recently published book The Harambee Factor – India-Africa Economic and Development Partnership (Macmillian, 2022)

The Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture was instituted at IIC in 2018 to mark the Centenary of Madiba

(Collaboration: South African High Commission; and Working Group on Alternative Strategies)