TIL anchors Tata group participation in India-Africa Conclave
March 17, 2016
Mr NN Tata, MD of Tata International (TIL), and Chairman of the CII Africa Committee, addressed the inaugural session of the CII-EXIM Bank Conclave on India-Africa Project Partnership in New Delhi, India. The other dignitaries and guest invitees present at the event were Gen VK Singh (Retd), Minister of State for External Affairs, Government of India; Mr Yaduvendra Mathur, Chairman and Managing Director, Export-Import Bank of India (EXIM); Mr Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, Vice President, Republic of Ghana; Mr Okechukwu Enelamah, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Republic of Nigeria; Mr James Vani Igga, Vice President, Republic of South Sudan; and Mr Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII.
Inaugurated on March 14, 2016, the 11th edition of the conclave aimed to strengthen bilateral relations between India and Africa. In a display of solidarity, more than 1,000 delegates marked their presence at the Taj Palace hotel (New Delhi).
The TIL team, along with the Tata group communications team, anchored the Tata Group’s participation at the conclave including an exhibition stall of the group. Key contributors to the group sponsorship for the conclave were Tata Sons, Tata International, Tata Motors, Tata Chemicals, Tata Power and Tata Projects.
Meetings were also held with Mr Jean Claude Brou, Minister of Industry and Mines, Cote D’Ivoire; Mr Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, Vice President of Republic of Ghana; and the Nigeria Exim Bank. TIL facilitated speaking opportunities for group company officials: Mr Anjan Ghosh, Head, Solar Projects, TIL; Mr Minesh Dave, Chief Business Development Officer, Tata Power; and Mr Kshitij Verma, Business Head (N&W Africa), Tata Motors, at key plenary and sector-specific business sessions.
Speaking at the occasion, Mr Tata emphasised the importance of the conclave as a platform for understanding the aspirations of people of India and Africa. He said, “The unexpected economic events of the last 12 months, have, I believe, made partnerships between the businesses of our countries even more necessary, if not imperative.” According to him, the continued weak economic sentiment across the developed world has impacted India’s exports.
Mr Tata recognised the efforts made by the Government of India in facilitating Indo-Africa relations by extending line of credit to African countries. He said, “India’s approach to Africa has always been to build a partnership of equals by strengthening co-operation to bring mutual economic benefits.”
The annual conclave was supported by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, and is among the largest platforms in India to facilitate B2B engagement.
Tata International was represented by Ms Janaki Chaudhry, Head Strategy and Business Development; Mr Ashish Jha from the MD’s office; Mr S Kundra, Country Head, Uganda; Mr Rahul Gupta, Mr Pramod Shukla and Mr Vinesh Goel from the Stryder bicycle team; Mr Anjan Ghosh and Mr Sayan Roy from the Solar Projects team; and Ms Amrita Banerjee and Ms Kanchanmala Patil from the Corporate Communications team. Locational support was provided by Mr Sanjay Sharma, TIL, and the Taj Palace team.
