Samir Bhattacharya is Senior Research Associate at Vivekananda International Foundation, where he works on geopolitics with particular reference to Africa in changing global order. He has a Master's in Economics from the University of Auvergne, France, and he is currently pursuing his doctoral study at Jawaharlal Nehru University. His doctoral study focuses on conflicts in Africa, particularly in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa. Previously, he has worked with organizations such as the French Embassy in New Delhi, Saciwaters (Research Organisation) and CUTS International (NGO).

Contributions 
Bharat’s G20 Presidency: An Ode to India-Africa Friendship Under the framework of the Group of Twenty (G20) presidency, India hosted the final summit on September 9 and 10 in the presence of more than 40 world leaders, including the G20 Heads of State or their representatives....

Second Russia-Africa Summit: A Mixed Bag for Africa Background In recent years, Russia may have increased its influence in Africa more than any other external power. However, Russia has a long history of interaction with Africa. These two continents were extremely close during the Cold War...

India's Commitment towards Decarbonising the Planet: National Green Hydrogen Mission India's economy is expanding rapidly, resulting in a tremendous demand for resources and energy. Palpably, India's energy consumption has doubled in the last two decades and is expected to rise by another 25% by 2030. India currently imports 40% of i...

Evaluating the African Peace Mission to Ukraine and Russia: What did it Achieve? Almost a year and a half into the conflict, African leaders joined the crowded group of peacemakers attempting to mediate the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.[1] On June 16 ...

The Future of Indian Consultancy Services in Africa India's service industry is the most significant contributor to the country's economy and accounts for over 50 per cent of the GDP.[1] In the financial year 2022-23, India's serv...

VIF Papers 
Western Sahara - The North African Gordian Knot … Western Saharan conflict is one of the world's most underlooked conflicts .. it is crucial to indigenous Sahrawis and their kin in southern Morocco, northern Mauritania and western Algeria .. UN has so far failed in providing the groundwork for s...

Book Published / Book Reviews 
"The Harambee Factor: India - Africa Economic and Development Partnership” by Ambassador Gurjit Singh, Macmillan Education India Pvt. Ltd., Pp 500 2022, INR 2,802. ISBN: 978-93-5455-069-0 A wealth of literature illustrates China's relationship with Africa in all of its facets. In comparison, there isn't nearly enough research on India's engagement in Africa in its entirety. In that sense, there is hardly any literature that deals spec...

"India–Africa Relations: Changing Horizons" by Rajiv Bhatia, Routledge India, Pp 244, 15 November 2021, INR 995. ISBN 9781032268989 Former High Commissioner to Kenya, South Africa and Lesotho, Ambassador Rajiv Kumar Bhatia, is a Distinguished Fellow of the Foreign Policy Studies Programme at Gateway House. In his new book titled "India-Africa Relations: Changing Horizons",...

Event Reports 
India-Africa Roundtable on Science and Technology On 15th March 2023, as part of the "Connect Africa" initiative, VIF organised 1st "India-Africa Roundtable (IAR)"on Science and Technology with a focus on collaboration in the field of Science & Technology, particularly in the domain of Trade, Clim...

VIF Hosts the High Commissioner of South Africa and Ambassador of Sudan under its Connect Africa Programme The High Commissioner of South Africa, His Excellency Mr. JS Ndebele, and the Ambassador of Sudan, His Excellency Mr Abdalla Omer Bashir Elhusain, gave presentations on the status of India's relations with their respective nations and their prospects...

Interaction with Puneet Roy Kundal, Joint Secretary, MEA Shri Puneet Roy Kundal, Joint Secretary, MEA, former Ambassador of India in Tunisia and Consul General of India in Cape Town, highlighted Africa's strategic importance for India in his remarks. He mentions that MEA considers the relationship with Afr...

VIF-NIIA webinar on India-Nigeria relations under the “Connect Africa” Programme On 27th October, 2022, Vivekananda International Foundation organized a webinar on India-Nigeria relations with Nigerian Institute of International Studies (NIIA), a premium think tank based in Nigeria. This was the second event under “Connect Afri...

Interaction with Shri Dammu Ravi, Secretary, Economic Relations, Ministry of External Affairs On 28th November 2022, VIF organised its 2nd Africa Expert Group meeting. Shri Dammu Ravi, Secretary Economic Relations, Ministry of External Affairs, was the key speaker at the meeting. During the meeting, Mr Ravi gave a brief overview of the contou...

Contact Us