UPSC Mains 2015 GS Paper 2 Q17: model answer
Increasing interest of India in Africa has its pros and cons. Critically examine.
What the question wants
Critically examine the benefits and drawbacks of India's growing interest in Africa.
How to structure it
Critically examine pros and cons: why India engages, gains, risks, balance.
- Context
- Pros
- Cons
- Balance
How to think it through
The 2015 India–Africa Forum Summit brought all 54 African countries to Delhi. Trade is about $100 billion. India's model is capacity building, not resource grabs. The cons include competition with China, implementation delays and incidents of racism.
Model answer
In October 2015 all 54 African countries attended the third India–Africa Forum Summit in New Delhi, the largest gathering of foreign leaders in India since 1983. India announced $10 billion in concessional credit and 50,000 scholarships.
Pros
- Trade and investment: India–Africa trade is about $100 billion; Indian firms are among the largest investors in Africa.
- Energy and minerals: oil from Nigeria and Angola; critical minerals and coal for India's energy transition.
- Food security: farmland and pulses imports from Mozambique and Tanzania.
- Markets for Indian medicines, vehicles and IT services; Indian generic drugs made HIV treatment affordable across Africa.
- Diplomatic support: 54 votes in the UN, valuable for UNSC reform.
- Maritime security on Africa's eastern coast.
- Soft power: ITEC training, the Pan-African e-Network, and India's push for the African Union's G20 membership (2023).
Cons
- Competition with China, which has deeper pockets.
- Implementation delays in Indian projects, hurting credibility.
- Debt concerns about lines of credit.
- Land deals seen as land grabs in places like Ethiopia.
- Security risks: piracy, insurgencies and coups in the Sahel.
- Racist attacks on African students in India damage goodwill.
Balance
The benefits clearly outweigh the risks if India keeps its model distinct: partnership driven by African priorities, local jobs and skills, faster project delivery and respect for African students. The fourth India–Africa Forum Summit, long delayed, should be held to sustain momentum.
Draw: A table of pros (trade, energy, votes, soft power) and cons (China, delays, debt, racism).
Keywords, cases and data to drop in
IAFS-III 2015, $10 billion LoC, 50,000 scholarships, ITEC, Pan-African e-Network, AU in G20 2023, generic drugs, Kampala principles 2018, India–Africa trade about $100 billion.
Where most answers lose marks
- Writing only pros. 'Critically examine' needs the cons.
Related Mains PYQs
- “IPMDA (Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness) bridges the gap between India's SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) vision… UPSC 2026 · GS-II
- “BRICS acts as a powerful counterweight in global governance, actively amplifying the voice and influence of the Global South.” Explain the role… UPSC 2026 · GS-II
- India-Africa digital partnership is achieving mutual respect, co-development and long-term institutional partnerships. Elaborate. UPSC 2025 · GS-II
- “Energy security constitutes the dominant kingpin of India’s foreign policy, and is linked with India’s overarching influence in Middle Eastern countries.” How… UPSC 2025 · GS-II
Fresh examples from current affairs
Iran warns of an ‘apocalyptic war’ if attacked again: what it means for India, the Strait of Hormuz and BRICS
Iran has warned that any fresh attack by the United States and Israel will turn into an “apocalyptic war” whose effects will reach the Gulf monarchies around it. Its Revolutionary Guards say American warships will not be allowed into the Persian Gulf, as Washington weighs new air strikes. The row has reached New Delhi too: Iran’s Parliament Speaker will skip the BRICS Parliamentary Forum here next week, amid a dispute over a medicine flight. For you, this links three exam favourites: the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf Cooperation Council and India’s energy security.
UPSC angle: Prelims: Strait of Hormuz, GCC members, BRICS expansion, Chabahar, INSTC. · Mains GS-II: India’s West Asia policy and energy security.
25 Oct 2026
SCO Heads of Government meet in Dushanbe: Rajnath calls for dismantling the terror ecosystem
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh represented India at the 25th meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on 20 October 2026. With Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister in the room, he said there can be no justification and no double standards on terrorism. The meeting adopted the SCO budget for 2027 and a 2026–30 action plan for trade and economic cooperation.
UPSC angle: Prelims: SCO bodies and locations, new centres, INSTC. · Mains GS-II: SCO’s value for India; GS-III: terror financing.
21 Oct 2026
Rubio at Jamnagar: US pitches oil and Venezuelan crude to India’s ‘refining superpower’
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Reliance’s Jamnagar refinery complex in Gujarat on 21 October 2026, a day after calling India a ‘refining superpower’. He wants India to buy more US oil and refine more Venezuelan crude. In Mumbai on 20 October, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar also held an unannounced India–US–UAE meeting on energy and connectivity, with the Strait of Hormuz blocked.
UPSC angle: Prelims: Jamnagar, Hormuz, I2U2, IMEC, SPR sites. · Mains GS-II/III: energy security vs strategic autonomy; India–US–UAE.
21 Oct 2026
SCO Heads of Government meet in Dushanbe on 19–20 October: Rajnath Singh to represent India
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will represent India at the 25th meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on 19–20 October 2026. This is the SCO’s second-highest body, and it looks after trade, economy, connectivity and the Organisation’s budget. The last CHG met in Moscow on 18 November 2025, where External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar spoke for India.
UPSC angle: Prelims: SCO members, bodies (CHS, CHG, RATS), founding year, CHG venue. · Mains GS-II: India and regional groupings, Central Asia.
18 Oct 2026Learn the concept
Question text as printed in the official UPSC Civil Services (Main) question paper. The model answer is original Battle IAS work; use it to learn structure, not to memorise.
Want every PYQ in one place? See the Battle IAS PYQ Book.