Ficci calls for comprehensive India-Africa trade framework to boost ties

India and Africa should explore a broader trade arrangement as a more predictable framework could further boost trade, investment and economic cooperation between the two regions, industry chamber Ficci said on Saturday. Ficci Secretary General Anant Swarup said that with bilateral trade reaching USD 93.6 billion in 2025-26, the economic relationship between the two regions has acquired a significant scale. "There is considerable merit in exploring a broader India-Africa trade arrangement. A more comprehensive and predictable trade framework could provide further impetus to this partnership," Swarup told PTI. He said that both India and Africa should explore the possibility of developing a broader and more comprehensive trade arrangement that builds on their existing economic complementarities, facilitates greater market access, encourages investment flows and strengthens regional and bilateral value chains. "Such an arrangement could also help address emerging trade barriers, prom