Prospects of India's Energy Quest in Africa: Insights from Sudan and Nigeria

India has embarked on a policy to balance its need for accessing strategic energy resources from the African continent with Africa's aspirations for greater skills and sustainable development. Sudan has turned out to be the gateway for India's energy quest in Africa. India's age-old ties with Sudan have been crucial in accessing oil from the country. New Delhi's close relations helped to assuage the initial hiccups; however conflict between the Sudanese government and that of Southern Sudan have created some problems. Similarly, in Nigeria while India's strong diplomatic ties may have paved the way for the entry of India's oil companies, change in government and rising insecurity have dimmed future prospects. With growing investments, India needs to develop a long-term strategy to deal with these emerging security threats while continuing to maintain strong relations with countries on the continent.