THE Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD) Africa was held from 1-2 October, 2010 at
the International Convention Centre(ICC), Durban, South Africa, with a lot of
fanfare. The event was inaugurated on 1st October, 2010 by the Minister for
Overseas Indian Affairs, Mr Vayalar Ravi. The President of South Africa Mr.Jacob
Zuma graced the closing session on 2nd October 2010. The theme of the Conference
was on ‘India-Africa: Building Bridges.’
This
was the 4th regional PBD Convention organized by Government of India outside
India. The first such event was held on 24th September, 2007 in New York, the
second in October, 2008 in Singapore and the third in September, 2009 at The
Hague. PBD Africa marked the 150th anniversary of the arrivals of Indians in
South Africa and coincided with the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
The
PBD Conventions are organized by the Government of India to engage with the
overseas Indian community across the globe to build bridges with them and their
host countries. The Convention in Durban focused on the Indian diaspora in the
Africa and especially focused on South Africa which has a population of over 1.2
million of Indian origin.
The
two-day Convention was attended by more than 400 delegates from the Africa. It
was co-hosted by the Government of the Province of KwaZulu-Natal.
Two
Pre-Conference events were held on October 1st: A Business Roundtable and an
Academic Seminar on Diaspora.
The
Business Roundtable on ‘Opportunity Africa’ at ICC Durban was attended by over
100 prominent business leaders and professionals from India and Africa. The
possibility of enhancing economic and trade relations between India and Africa
and particularly South Africa were discussed in the meeting focusing on four
crucial sectors: IT, skill enhancement and education; pharmaceuticals; mining
and minerals and infrastructure. The recommendations of the Business Roundtable
were placed at the business plenary session on 2nd October.
The
Seminar ‘Diaspora: Heritage in the context of Globalization’ was held at Durban
University of Technology. Prominent academics from India and Africa participated
in the event. The recommendations of the seminar were placed before the plenary
session on Diaspora on October 2nd.
On
2nd October, 5 plenary sessions were held on ‘The relevance of Mahatma Gandhi in
the 20th century’, ‘Business: Opportunity Africa’, ‘Youth and Gender: the
Knowledge Economy and Social Development’, ‘Diaspora: Heritage in the Context of
Globalization’ and a Valedictory session.
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