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World desk4 min

India–Africa Trade: Key Sectors, Partners and Economic Ties Explained

India’s FY 2025–26 trade total with Africa reached USD 93.69 billion, while country figures and cooperation priorities show a diverse relationship beyond goods trade.
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India reported bilateral trade of USD 93.69 billion with Africa in FY 2025–26: exports from India were USD 45.42 billion and imports to India were USD 48.27 billion, according to the Government of India. That continent-wide total sits within a broader relationship involving country-level trade, investment, trade agreements, business forums and development cooperation. The available country figures cover different fiscal years, so they illustrate the range of ties but do not provide a current ranking of India’s African partners.

How much does India trade with Africa?

The Government of India reported India–Africa bilateral trade of USD 93.69 billion in FY 2025–26, up 14.39% over the previous fiscal year. Its breakdown was USD 45.42 billion in exports from India to Africa and USD 48.27 billion in imports to India from Africa. On those figures, imports exceeded exports by USD 2.85 billion in FY 2025–26. The reported difference does not identify which countries or products account for it.

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These are fiscal-year figures reported by the Indian government, not calendar-year totals. The available sources do not establish a harmonized comparison with African Union or partner-country statistics, so figures from different reporting systems should not be treated as directly interchangeable.

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Which African countries are important trade partners?

South Africa, Nigeria and Ethiopia show how different the bilateral relationships can be. The available figures cover different years and come from country-specific government reporting; they should not be read as a same-year comparison or a list of the current largest partners.

Country Reported bilateral trade Additional context
South Africa USD 19.25 billion in FY 2023–24, reported by the Government of India. The Government of India reported that Indian businesses had invested more than USD 1.3 billion in South Africa from April 2000 through September 2024.
Nigeria USD 7.13 billion in FY 2024–25, according to the High Commission of India in Abuja. The same country page reports USD 14.95 billion in FY 2021–22. A separate Indian government report gives USD 11.8 billion for FY 2022–23 and describes Nigeria as a major Indian partner in Africa. The differing values describe different fiscal years; they do not establish a current continent-wide ranking.
Ethiopia USD 550.19 million in FY 2024–25, according to a Government of India profile: exports from India were USD 476.81 million and imports to India were USD 73.38 million. The same government profile reports more than 675 Indian companies registered with the Ethiopian Investment Commission and investment above USD 6.5 billion.

Trade values measure flows between countries; investment figures describe a different economic relationship and period. The reported investment totals are government figures, not annual trade values. A defensible ranking of African partners would require country-level figures for one common fiscal year and a consistent statistical basis.

What sectors shape the relationship?

Current trade figures versus future priorities

The available continent-wide total and country examples do not include a product-by-product breakdown. They therefore cannot show which sectors make up the largest shares of current India–Africa trade. At the May 2026 India–Africa Business Dialogue curtain-raiser, India’s Commerce Minister identified agriculture and food processing, digital public infrastructure, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, renewable energy, critical minerals, electric mobility, manufacturing, defence production and emerging technologies as areas for future collaboration. These are stated policy priorities, not measured trade shares.

A stated shift toward higher-value links

The same official statement called for moving beyond raw-material trade toward higher-value products, integrated supply chains, local manufacturing and technology-driven cooperation. That is an expressed ambition; the statement does not establish that the shift has already taken place across India–Africa trade.

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Nigeria as an example of a broad agenda

At the India–Nigeria Joint Trade Committee meeting in April 2024, officials discussed oil and natural gas, pharmaceuticals, UPI, local-currency settlement, power and renewable energy, agriculture and food processing, education, transport, railways, aviation and micro, small and medium enterprises. They also discussed market-access issues. This agenda illustrates the breadth of topics under discussion; it is not evidence that deals were completed or that each sector has a particular trade value.

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How do agreements and institutions support economic ties?

Trade agreements and regional engagement

India’s Department of Commerce says the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA) with Mauritius entered into force on 1 April 2021 and describes it as India’s first trade agreement with an African country. The Department’s Africa page also notes engagement with the Southern African Customs Union on a preferential trade agreement. That reference to engagement should not be mistaken for a concluded agreement.

A partnership wider than goods trade

The African Union’s description of the Africa–India partnership framework includes economic matters, trade and industry, agriculture, energy, infrastructure, education and skills, health, and peace and security. It identifies aims including stronger trade and investment, technology transfer, capacity building, political dialogue and people-to-people links. These areas help explain why economic ties extend beyond the value of goods crossing borders.

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Business forums and project connections

The Department of Commerce’s Annual Report 2024–25 records that the 19th CII India Africa Business Conclave took place in New Delhi on 20–22 August 2024, with participation from 47 African countries. The report lists 380 project opportunities and more than 780 business-to-business meetings. Those are event-reported engagement figures, not counts of completed investments, contracts or trade outcomes.

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