Envoys of 25 African countries and charge d’affaires of 11 others assembled at the Hyderabad House here Wednesday to take stock of the ongoing partnerships between India and Africa under the umbrella “INDIAFRICA: A Shared Future” people-to-people initiative of the public diplomacy division of the ministry of external affairs.

The United States, while maintaining an excellent exchange program, needs to focus more efforts and resources toward empowering young people from the U.S. to not just experience foreign cultures but to engage in dialogue about pressing global issues.

Shared histories, similar cultures and aspirations link India and Africa together. Launched in 2011, 'INDIAFRICA : A Shared Future' is a people-to-people initiative between India and the African continent.

Young creative people and entrepreneurs in Nigeria stand the chance of winning prizes, in a series of competition recently unveiled by theideaworks, a design and strategy firm based in Delhi. Called ‘INDIAFRICA: A Shared Future’, the initiative comprises an online contest and a young visionaries segment for young entrepreneurs in India and Africa.

India has reached out to Africa with an initiative to foster a People-to-People (P2P) understanding with Africa. “With 70 per cent of the population in Africa and India below the age of 25, promoting engagement between youth in Africa and India is imperative to pave the way for a shared future," said Navdeep Suri, the Joint Secretary, Public Diplomacy Division, Ministry of External Affairs, India.

It was an exercise in grass-roots democracy in which sections of the public could question a political leader in public about issues of interest and concern to them. It was also an exercise in public diplomacy in which a political leader takes advantage of the opportunity provided by such interactions to explain his or her thinking and views on issues of public concern.

IT is customary to mount works of art on walls during exhibitions. But the United States Department of States smARTpower Sharing Culture presentation organized by the Public Affairs Section of the US Consulate General held in collaboration with Women and Youth Art Foundation, Ibadan last week was devoid of any such thing.

Simoyan’s major preoccupation is stating how Nigeria and her citizenry can harness her potential greatness, which has essentially been unexplored. For the successfully positioning the country in the League of Nations, according to her, it would require a major long-term commitment by Nigerians and the government."