In a recent development, Chaman Dhanda, the India Head for Trilateral Cooperation at GIZ, Germany's official technical assistance agency, announced the expansion of the trilateral partnership between India and Germany into the African nations of Ethiopia and Madagascar. This collaborative effort aims to further support and develop these countries.

New Delhi and Berlin have thus far worked together to develop projects in Peru, Ghana, Cameroon, and Malawi. 

The current initiatives range from using agri-tech to increase potato production in Cameroon to encouraging agri-business among women in Malawi.

“The objective would be to build on individual strengths and experiences in development cooperation and offer sustainable, viable, and inclusive projects to third countries in addressing development challenges and achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and SDG-related climate targets, including through multilateral institutions where India and Germany are members, such as the International Solar Alliance (ISA)," the two sides said in a joint declaration of intent released in May 2022.

Dhanda informed Mint that both parties are contemplating broadening their collaboration to include Madagascar and Ethiopia in their partnership.

In the ongoing collaboration between India and Germany in these countries, with a primary emphasis on climate and sustainability initiatives, there is a notable interest from Germany in extending the program to encompass healthcare projects. Jochen Flasbarth, the State Secretary in Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, conveyed this intention during a press interaction in New Delhi. The expansion would involve sponsoring research and development endeavours related to health in Africa.

In addition, the two countries are also open to considering projects in Asia, given that the focus this far has been on Africa and Latin America. 

India has pursued various trilateral cooperation initiatives with nations such as the United States and France, seeking to harness the technical expertise and financial support of reliable partners in strategically significant areas. An instance of this collaborative approach is India's contemplation of engagement with the United States, Australia, and France in the Pacific Islands, as reported earlier by Mint.

Under the Global Innovation Partnership, India and the UK are exploring a similar proposal that would use Indian innovation to promote development in strategically important third nations. According to Mint, discussions are underway on potential collaboration on renewable energy projects in Sri Lanka as part of the finalization of the list of target countries for this plan, which is expected to happen early in 2019.

While trilateral cooperation has been pushed through with significant support from India and its selected partners, coordination issues are known to arise. Although India is open to collaborating with other developed nations to strengthen its strategic position in the region, it still favours bilateral development initiatives that can be carried out swiftly and with minimal bureaucratic red tape.

Image source: Reuters