Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for the second Africa-India Forum Summit, which is expected to make a strong pitch for United Nations reforms.

Motlanthe, who touched down on the Ethiopian capital on Tuesday, joins other leaders who will discuss significant aspects of the India-Africa partnership, with the objective of enhancing and widening its scope of cooperation for the mutual benefit of the continent.

Fifteen African countries – including South Africa, Algeria, Burundi, Chad, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Libya, Malawi, Namibia, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Swaziland and the host country Ethiopia – are expected to participate in the summit.

The summit is expected to come out with the Addis Ababa Declaration setting out the roadmap for further consolidating the strategic partnership between India and the African Union. An Africa-India Framework for Enhanced Cooperation will also be firmed up at the summit.

“The summit will also evaluate progress achieved in areas such as human resources and institutional capacity building; science and technology; agricultural productivity and food security; industrial growth; health; infrastructure development and information and communication technology,” the Presidency said on Tuesday.

Further, it will discuss measures to support African economic programmes within the context of Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa, New Partnership for Africa's Development, and Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme.

Motlanthe is accompanied by the Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ebrahim Ebrahim and senior government officials.