India Viewed as Reliable Arms Supplier in Africa: Army Veteran

India is seen as a reliable arms supplier and a friend in Africa, an Indian Army veteran has said.

The comments of Major General (Retd) Sanjay Soi come in the wake of Kenya's Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale's statement wherein the African country's diplomat hinted at acquiring military hardware from New Delhi.

Kenya’s Top Official Backs Weapons Imports From India

"India has emerged as a Defence Manufacturing hub and there are unlimited opportunities in the sector that is rich with latest technology, innovation and infrastructure, with favorable policy for foreign investment which reaffirms the gospel of 'Make in India'," Duale noted at a public event on Wednesday.

In this light, Soi, who has had a close association with Africa as Advisor of Strategic Affairs of the India Nambia Trade Forum, emphasized that New Delhi was giving a lot of thrust to the export of Indian arms with sales of military hardware to foreign nations touching an all-time high of almost $2 billion last year.

"If one talks about major markets for supplies of Indian defense items - they have always been Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East," the military pundit told Sputnik India on Thursday.

"The main reason behind their interest is the world-class quality of Indian arms and ammunition which is much cheaper when compared with Western equipment," he added.

Indian Diplomacy at the Forefront of Developing Robust Ties With African States

Soi opined that India's diplomacy was also playing a huge part in these developments, with multiple African sovereign states expressing their interest in purchasing weapons systems from the South Asian country.

"The induction of the African Union (AU) in the powerful G20 bloc on New Delhi's insistence has further cemented India's ties with several African states. All these factors have positioned India as a reliable arms supplier and a friend in Africa," he observed.

Military Equipment Nairobi Could Purchase From New Delhi

The Defence expert pointed out that Kenya had already shown interest in procuring Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) Prachand, artillery guns, including Dhanush, and small arms from India.

"Amongst other military products that Nairobi could think about acquiring from the world's largest democratic nation are the BrahMos missiles, air defense system, particularly the Akash missile, communication devices, and Tejas aircraft," he concluded.

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