The intersection of agriculture, MSME development, and technology is an area where India and Africa can build strong long-term partnerships. India brings experience in digital public infrastructure, small enterprise development, agricultural research, and pharmaceuticals, while Africa offers land resources, growing consumer markets, and a young workforce. Together, these complementary strengths can form the basis of new value chains across sectors.

Ms Manikam believes that platforms such as India Empire’s Africa First initiative play an important role in shaping the next phase of India–Africa engagement by bringing together policymakers, businesses, and development practitioners. In her view, the future of India–Africa cooperation will be driven not only by government agreements, but by sustained engagement between enterprises, research institutions, and MSMEs working together to build long-term partnerships across agriculture, manufacturing, and technology.

As African economies continue to grow and urbanise, demand for food, infrastructure, technology, and consumer goods is expected to rise significantly. This creates opportunities for Indian enterprises to participate not only as exporters, but as partners in local manufacturing, agriculture, and enterprise development.

Through her work with Arima Group, Ms Saalai Manikam represents this emerging model of India–Africa engagement — one that combines enterprise with capacity building, technology with training, and investment with local participation. It is a model that reflects the evolving nature of South–South cooperation, where partnerships are increasingly based on shared development goals, knowledge exchange, and long-term economic collaboration.

As India and Africa continue to expand their economic and diplomatic engagement, such enterprise-led partnerships are likely to play an increasingly important role in shaping the future of the relationship. The work being done by organisations such as Arima Group illustrates how cooperation between the two regions is moving beyond trade towards building integrated value chains, strengthening local capacity, and creating sustainable economic linkages between India and Africa.