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South Africa: Wits Sets Up Centre for Indian Studies
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Business Day (Johannesburg)
8 May 2008
Posted to the web 8 May 2008
Sue Blaine
Johannesburg
AFRICA will get its first centre for Indian studies when the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) launches its Centre for Indian Studies in Africa in September, the university announced yesterday.
Trade and investment between SA and India continues to grow, with total bilateral trade amounting to $4bn. It has grown 22% annually since 2001, with about 40 major corporations from each country operating in the other and a $20,7bn bid by India's leading cellular operator Bharti Airtel's for SA's MTN on everyone's lips.
The establishment of the centre was announced by Indian consul-general Navdeep Suri at a function at which the Indian government donated several hundred books to the Wits Library India Collection.
The centre would put Wits in a strong position to support economic ties between the countries through research, academic teaching and short courses for managers from both countries on topics such as business and the legal environment, indigenous languages and culture, said Prof Stephen Gelb, acting director of the centre.
Improving ties between India and SA was important because India was one of the up and coming economies globally, although it was often overshadowed by China's economic expansion, said Gelb.
India's vast social changes with the growth of its middle class meant changing consumption habits, which South African business needed to take advantage of. Also, India, the world's largest democracy, was becoming increasingly important as a political influence in a sensitive area of the world; and also in Africa because of its growing economic influence, Gelb said.
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Ties between Wits and academic and research institutions in India were already strong, with about 30 staff members of Wits involved in collaborative research in fields varying from developing cheaper, stronger cement to social woes, Gelb said.
The centre would strengthen and broaden this research relationship, but the centre would focus on economic relations between SA and India, he said.
Wits was establishing offices for the centre, hiring staff and organising a three-day conference -- at which the centre would be officially launched.
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