The Asia-Africa Growth Corridor is an economic cooperation
agreement between 10 Asian countries and 7 African countries, launched in
2017 by the governments of India and Japan.
The Asia-Africa Growth Corridor is the Indian and Japanese alternative
to the Chinese
New Silk Road (one belt, one route, Eurasian Land Transport Initiative).
Its main objective is the creation of an Afro-Indo-Asian Economic Area
through:
Development and cooperation projects;
Quality infrastructure (transport, corridors) and institutional connectivity;
Enhancement of skills and abilities;
Person-to-person (P2P) associations.
The Asia-Africa Growth Corridor will facilitate and enhance economic
growth by linking the economies of Asia and Africa by facilitating
trade, development and improvement of ports, airports, corridors, industrial
parks or telecommunications.
Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA): Burundi,
Comoros, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia,
Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius,
Rwanda,
Seychelles, Sudan, Eswatini (Swaziland), Tanzania, Uganda, Djibouti,
Zambia and Zimbabwe;
Southern African Development Community (SADC): Angola,
Botswana, the Comoros, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, the Seychelles,
South Africa, Eswatini (Swaziland), Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe;
Nile Basin Initiative: Burundi, the Democratic Republic
of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan,
Tanzania and Uganda;
International Conference on the Great Lakes Region:
Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan,
Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia;
Indian Ocean Commission: the Comoros, the Reunion Island, Madagascar, Mauritius and the Seychelles.
Trade relations of the African countries of the corridor with the United States:
COMESA-United States Trade and Investment Framework Agreement;
East African Community-U.S. Agreement;
African Growth and Opportunity Act (U.S. AGOA).
Relations of the African countries of the corridor with the European Union
Africa-European Union Strategic Partnership (Cotonou Agreement);
Generalized System of Preferences (GSP).
Free Trade Agreements:
Almost all the African countries in the corridor have trade agreements with India;
Mauritius:
India, Turkey, European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and Pakistan;
India has a trade agreement with the
Southern Africa Customs Union (SACU) (South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini (Swaziland), Botswana, and Namibia). Although none of these countries is a member of the corridor).