At the NDTV World Summit 2026 on Thursday, Djalal Khimdjee, CEO of Africa50’s Principal Investment Fund, declared that India is "very well positioned" to spearhead Africa’s infrastructure boom.
Khimdjee cited India’s 500 GW electricity capacity, of which half derives from non‑fossil sources, noting the country is five years ahead of its COP26 pledge to reach 50% non‑fossil by 2030.
He added that India’s "One Nation, One Grid" model, which unified fragmented power networks into a single national grid, serves as a blueprint for Africa’s own grid consolidation efforts.
Africa50 has already signed a partnership with NTPC, India’s largest integrated power utility, to develop projects across the continent, a move the CEO said will accelerate Africa’s power supply.
Demographic projections put Africa at 40% of the world’s population by 2050, with 60% of the global workforce expected to be African by the end of the century, Khimdjee said, underscoring the investment potential.
The summit’s session, titled "Africa and India: Who Will Build the Global South?", highlighted the growing strategic partnership and set the stage for further joint ventures.