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US, India must collaborate in Africa amid China threat: Indian corporate executive
In an interview with New India Abroad, Shapoorji Pallonji advisor S Kuppuswamy urged collaboration between India and US to regain trust of the nations lost out to China.
S Kuppuswamy in an interview with New India Abroad. / Courtesy Photo
Indian conglomerate Shapoorji Pallonji Group's advisor S Kuppuswamy recently said that Africa is increasingly looking towards countries like India and the United States to finance major infrastructure projects.
In an interview with New India Abroad, Kuppuswamy asked US development finance institutions to collaborate with India to ensure quick execution of such projects and regain trust of African nations that had previously been lost out to China.
"Our invitation is that development finance institutions from the US and elsewhere should collaborate with India... to see that more such (major infrastructural) projects are executed in the quickest possible time in Africa and elsewhere to ensure that the role that we probably lost out to China in the last two decades can be regained for mutual benefit," said Kuppuswamy.
Kuppuswamy also spoke about how Indian companies had already been constructing major projects such as ports, temples and banks in different parts of the world under the Indian government's line of credit.
The business executive also highlighted the recent inauguration of the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi, the BAPS Hindu mandir, which was built at a cost of Rs 700 crore using his company's expertise.
"Today, if you go to Ghana, any president there, whichever party he belongs to, takes pride in saying... we are under your (India's) roof. I'm told that when former President Barack Obama visited Ghana, he was shown the presentation, oh, an Indian company has constructed this. So these are all things that really enhance the prestige of Indian companies," he added.
Over the years, the Pallonji Group has also constructed many projects in Africa, such as an international convention center in Niger and the presidential palace in Ghana. In India, it constructed the Bharat Mandapam where the 2023 G20 summit was held.
Kuppuswami also said African countries prefer India for construction activities because of lower cost and greater quality. "Today, if you look at quality, African nations look more towards India rather than other countries' companies. Because we have been in a position to prove that we can do it at a lower cost and at a greater quality than other nations."
"I must say that we are much better than them (China) in quality. We treat people well. We impart learning to them. And we take up corporate social responsibility activities on a large scale," Kuppuswami said while responding to a direct question on whether Indian companies were better than their Chinese counterparts.
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Comments
Sam Patel
2024-05-29 00:00:00
The nations are run by freeloaders who will rob the nation of the funds from China and then move with their family to USA or UK or Canada BUT not to India. India should not get involved and treat countries that cater to China. Let them experience China and when they are squeezed, buy their assets in exchange for cash like China does with interest. That should have been done with Sri Lanka and Bangla in exchange for islands and land transfer without people.