New Delhi:
India will host its largest diplomatic outreach programme with Africa from October 26, inviting leaders of all 54 States in the region, 10 months after it had cancelled the event due to Ebola scare.
The five day-long third "India-Africa Summit" is expected to be attended by nearly 1000 delegates including heads of government, ministers, government officials, business leaders and others.
While the meeting between the heads of the government and states will take place on October 29, it will be preceded by the rounds of interactions between the ministers and the senior officials.
On October 30, bilateral meetings are being scheduled, Navtej Sarna, secretary (west), told reporters here.
When asked how many confirmations the government has received, he said invitations were being sent out at three levels - head of the government, foreign minister and senior officials- and responses will come thereafter.
Earlier, the summit was to take place in December but was cancelled due to Ebola outbreak in that continent.
With the government expecting big number of delegates for the summit, it was logistically difficult given the public health guidelines to manage, the spokesperson in the external affairs ministry had said.
The deadly Ebola virus that hit the region last year has killed thousands of people in several African countries. The UN security council had also declared the outbreak of the Ebola virus in West Africa a "threat to international peace and security".
