“India has become one of the major exporters of defense materials in recent years. A defense manufacturing ecosystem has been created here, which has the advantage of abundant technical manpower. The Indian defense industry can work with you to meet your defense needs,” the Indian Defense Minister said during the meeting.
“Visiting delegations witness demonstrations of available systems such as artillery guns, armored vehicles, radars, simulators and ammunition, as part of strong advocacy for India as an exporting country of arms”, reports the Indian newspaper The Economic Timesstressing that India wants to export arms to African countries whose means are limited to acquire defense equipment from Western countries.
To read: Morocco wants to manufacture military vehicles with the help of India
During the event, “a display of defense equipment and interaction with Indian defense industries was organized for army leaders and representatives of African nations in Pune. The exhibition gave a glimpse into the technological capabilities and prowess of the Nation,” the Indian Army said in a tweet.
According to some observers, the import of arms of Indian origin by African countries is still limited. Only 10 to 15% of annual Indian defense exports are destined for African countries such as Mozambique, Egypt, Ethiopia, Seychelles… for revenues of 1.7 billion dollars. India aims to increase these revenues to 5 billion dollars in the next few years.
