Monrovia, Liberia – The Embassy of India in Monrovia has announced that India will host two major international gatherings later this month — the Fourth India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS-IV) and the inaugural International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) Summit — events expected to deepen diplomatic, economic, and environmental cooperation between India and African nations, including Liberia.
By Patience M. Jone, [email protected]
Speaking during a press briefing in Monrovia on Thursday at the Indian embassy on Mamba Point, India’s Ambassador Manaj Bihari Verma described the upcoming summits as “historic” and a defining moment in India-Africa relations.
The 4th India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS-IV), scheduled for May 31 in New Delhi, will convene African leaders, representatives of the African Union Commission, and regional economic communities under the theme: “India-Africa Strategic Partnership for Innovation, Resilience, and Inclusive Transformation.”
According to the Ambassador Verma , the summit marks the first India-Africa Forum gathering in more than a decade since the last edition held in 2015. He noted that both India and Africa have undergone significant transformation during that period, making the upcoming summit an important platform to redefine and strengthen cooperation.
“This will be a defining moment in India-Africa relations,” the Ambassador Verma said, emphasizing that the summit will focus on key areas including peace and security, trade and economic transformation, education, digital innovation, climate action, infrastructure, artificial intelligence, and cultural exchanges.
Activities surrounding the summit will begin with a Senior Officials Meeting on May 28, followed by the India-Africa Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on May 29. An India-Africa Business Dialogue and Exhibition will also take place on May 29 and 30 to strengthen investment and private-sector partnerships.
The Ambassador highlighted India’s growing diplomatic footprint in Africa, noting that since the last summit, India has opened 17 new diplomatic missions across the continent, including its embassy in Monrovia established in 2021, bringing India’s total diplomatic presence in Africa to 46 missions.
Immediately following the India-Africa Forum Summit, New Delhi will host the first-ever International Big Cat Alliance Summit on June 1.
The IBCA, launched by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2023, is an international organization dedicated to conserving seven major big cat species — the Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Cheetah, Jaguar, and Puma.
The Ambassador revealed that Liberia is among the alliance’s 25 member countries after ratifying the IBCA Framework Agreement in January 2025.
“Liberia’s remarkable biodiversity and forest ecosystems make this membership not only appropriate, but genuinely meaningful,” he stated.
More than 400 conservationists, scientists, policymakers, and representatives from 95 big cat range countries are expected to attend the summit, where delegates will adopt the “Delhi Declaration,” described as the first global declaration focused specifically on big cat conservation.
The summit will be held under the theme: “Save Big Cats, Save Humanity, Save Ecosystem.”
The Ambassador also used the occasion to highlight the growing ties between India and Liberia, describing the relationship as one rooted in friendship, trust, and mutual support.
He recalled India’s role during Liberia’s civil conflict and health crises, particularly the deployment of India’s all-women United Nations peacekeeping contingent to Liberia in 2007.
Recent bilateral engagements between the two countries have included a 2025 visit by a multi-party Indian parliamentary delegation to Liberia, increased scholarship and training opportunities for Liberians in India, and a new cooperation agreement on medicine quality regulation signed in December 2025.
According to the Embassy, more than 150 Liberians traveled to India in 2025 for training and scholarship programs in fields ranging from public administration and trauma care to mining safety and media studies.
The Ambassador called on Liberian journalists and media institutions to closely follow and cover both summits, stressing that the events carry major implications for Africa’s development, South-South cooperation, and Liberia’s international partnerships.
“In the words of India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, ‘Together, India and Africa are not just development partners — we are partners in shaping a better world,’” the Ambassador said.
The summits will take place in New Delhi, India, from May 29 to June 1, 2026.
