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 
The Indian Tricolour Shines again through Operation Kaveri Fighting broke out in Khartoum and other areas of Sudan early on 15th April, engulfing the capital in turmoil and raising the possibility of a full-scale civil war. Tensions had been rising between General Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedt...

Sudan is Heading towards an all-out Civil War In the early hours of 15th April, fighting broke out in Khartoum and other parts of Sudan, engulfing the capital in conflict and escalating the risk of an all-out civil war. The reason behind this violence is an apparent power struggle between Genera...

Bola Ahmed Tinubu has Renewed Nigerian Hopes: Can he Awaken the Sleeping Giant? As outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari decided to step down after serving the maximum two terms permitted by the constitution, Nigeria held its seventh democratic Presidential electionon 25th February....

The “One District One Product” Experiment The state government of Uttar Pradesh is working diligently to grow the state's economy to $1 trillion and boost its share of India's GDP from the current 8% to 15–16%. The "One District One Product (ODOP)" programme was one crucial programme that ...

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...

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