Narendra Modi government pulls out all stops to host the first all-Africa Summit in India

NEW DELHI: The Narendra Modi government has pulled out all the stops to host the first all-Africa Summit in India. If China could get heads of state and government of an entire continent at a single venue in 2006, a faster growing India can surely do so in 2015. Well, almost.
When the Modi government decided to match the Chinese initiative nine years on, something that its predecessor UPA did not dare consider during its tenure, it ran into a slight problem that threatened to render its ambitious plan a non-starter. There was simply no single venue in the capital with a stage big enough to accommodate 50-odd dignitaries.

In fact, when the UPA in 2008 hosted 17 leaders at the India-Africa Forum Summit held in Delhi’s Vigyan Bhawan, the stage proved barely adequate for the leaders who had to stand literally shoulder to shoulder with the President and the PM. Perhaps that’s why UPA engaged different regions of Africa in batches. But that was then. The Modi government could not let logistics derail diplomacy. And so began the search for a suitable venue.

There seemed no obvious place in Delhi that could hold all 54 leaders in one place. All plans to build a convention centre in Dwarka or revamp the Pragati Maidan have remained on paper. In fact, the options were just as many as they were when India hosted its last big meet, the Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit in 1983, when the country hosted 33 heads of state and government.

Over time, though, the concept of stage has become outdated. To uphold the equality principle, these days all participants are seated together in a hollow rectangular arrangement or around a roundtable, just as China did in 2006 at the Great Hall of People. But, here’s the rub, the Great Hall is the biggest building after the Pentagon in the World.

There was no such option in Delhi. Vigyan Bhawan was too small; the Ashok Hotel Hall measured 1,800 sq metres, bigger than Taj Palace and even Talkatora Stadium, but still not sufficient to hold 54 heads of state.

At one stage, the government even decided to look outside Delhi. The first stop was Gandhinagar, where Modi as CM had built a convention centre. The convention centre was big enough, but the problem was places for the delegations to stay for the fourday summit.

The next city to be considered was Hyderabad, which also had a suitable venue but again, the problem was insufficient accommodation. In Delhi, the hotel infrastructure appeared better. There were 17 presidential suites and several luxury suites across the city hotels that could be spruced up for heads state and government.

The search finally ended at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex which had been in disuse since the Commonwealth Games. Senior officials said the main indoor play arena, which mostly has badminton courts, is spread over 4,800 sq metres. This was sufficient to have a semi-circular arrangement of the sort seen at UN events, with a permanent stage which could double up for cultural events. It also has 20 gates, which would make it easier to bring in the leaders, said officials.

The only issue was to turn a stadium into a makeshift world-class convention centre.

Modi had to step in himself, asking all ministers to do their bit. Urban development minister Venkaiah Naidu was asked to personally supervise Central Public Departments work. Officials from the armed forces were drafted on deputation to work round the clock with the SAI and other agencies to have the place ready in time for the summit, which is being held from October 26.

“The lifts, wiring…all has to be redone or re-laid. It will cost but SAI can benefit from it in the long run if they maintain it,” an official said. After the venue, an unseen issue cropped up with transport.

The government could not find a vendor that could arrange for 54 high-end cars on rent for the leaders. None of the big names in Indian manufacturing, officials told ET, could promise to provide the requisite number of cars.

An exasperated MEA had to turn to the German carmaker Mercedes. The company’s Indian office, in conjunction with its head office in Stuttgart, came back with the assurance that they will release 54 E-class Mercedes cars. These vehicles will go back to regular Indian dealers of Mercedes after this outing, an arrangement stamped from Germany. The entire exercise took months, involving an entire tender process involved just to ensure that no questions are asked as to why Mercedes was picked.

So close was the call on cars that the government is taking no chance with their parking. The word is out is that the entire basement of the Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan, the MEA’s swanky new address, will be vacated for these cars to be parked. With 35 heads of state and government having already confirmed their presence, the MEA is expecting a healthy response. That is, if it ensures that the invites that are yet to be delivered reach the intended parties on time.

This, too, is a connectivity issue. So poorly is India connected with Africa that the ministers who are to personally hand over the invitation have not been able to complete all their tours. “Plus, we had Parliament in session, so the tours were put on hold. But we expect that to be over soon,” said an official. So, as always, India seems to be getting its act together somehow, making do with what it has, improvising and pushing hard last minute to put up a good show. By the looks of it, the show should go off just fine, now that even the emblem – merging Indian and African lions (not elephants) – has been firmed up.

Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan may have bigger convention centres, but they are all built by China – referred to often as China friendship centres. The Modi government’s efforts, in the spirit of the PM’s ambitious campaign, are all made in India, give or take a few dozen German cars.