Uttar Pradesh's growth, a model for South Africa's development challenges

IN a bid to strengthen diplomatic and economic relations, South Africa’s High Commissioner to India, Professor Anil Sooklal, has embarked on a pivotal visit to the rapidly developing Indian state of Uttar Pradesh (UP).

This initiative is aimed at gaining insights from UP's impressive growth trajectory to address similar challenges faced by South Africa.

With a population nearing 250 million, Uttar Pradesh stands as a colossal Indian state, boasting a GDP of USD 440 billion (2025), making it the second-largest contributor to India’s economy.

Its economic output closely mirrors that of South Africa, making it a prime area for potential collaboration.

Sooklal engaged in discussions with UP's Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, who underscored the historical links that strengthen their relationship.

“A large number of Indians who left India to go and work in the sugar plantations in South Africa came from this province. Including my own great, great grandparents, my wife’s side, all of them came from this province,” Sooklal said. 

The discussion between Sooklal and Adityanath touched not only on long-standing cultural ties, but also on a broad spectrum of sectors including trade, investment, culture, religion, and education.

Notably, the agricultural sector emerged as a focal point. Despite Uttar Pradesh having only 11% of India’s agricultural land, it astonishingly contributes to over 21% of the country’s total agricultural output. 

Small and medium enterprises were also highlighted as vital avenues for partnership, given their role as the backbone of both economies. Other prospective sectors for collaboration include tourism, information and communications technology (ICT), energy, and mining.

“There’s much in terms of benefit for South Africa in deepening ties with this state because this state is expected to have the highest GDP growth this year. They are projected to grow at 12.2% this year, and the GDP will reach $500 billion this year. It’s one of the fastest-growing economies in India,” Sooklal said. 

“South African businesses have much to gain in the interaction with this state.” 

In addition to meetings with government officials, Sooklal interacted with the Confederation of Indian Industry, where they hosted an engaging session with around 20 business representatives. Topics of discussion included mining, infrastructure, ICT, and health care, reflecting a mutual interest in enhancing cooperative exchanges. One significant outcome of this meeting was the proposal of a state trade delegation visit to South Africa and bringing South African business people to the state.

Sooklal's visit also included an impactful lecture at the University of Lucknow, UP’s premier educational institution, where he sparked interest in historical ties and educational cooperation that could lead to collaborations between universities, lecturers, and students of both nations.

We must seize the opportunity presented by India’s rapid growth, particularly in UP, as South Africa shares similar developmental challenges. The aim is to collaborate on uplifting our people and ensuring this prosperity is shared by all.

“We are seeing it here in India, and this state has been at the forefront of that. India has lifted over 250 million people out of abject poverty in the past 10 years and this state with the largest percentage of the population, 250 million; it’s bigger than most countries in the world and yet you find that the state is moving at a very accelerated pace on all all areas of development not just the economy but you can see, visibly see, the infrastructure that’s being built here. The number of buildings, everywhere you go, is like a city under construction. High rises are being built everywhere.” 

The state’s growth narrative is further enhanced by the impending inauguration of UP’s fifth international airport by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a project that is expected to handle 200 million passengers, underpinning the scale of development occurring in UP and India at large.

SUNDAY TRIBUNE