New Delhi, Apr 9 (ANI): President Pratibha Patil has said that India-Africa Forum Summit would open up new vistas of cooperation.

Expressing her desire for better and enhanced relations with Africa, President Patil said, "I am confident that this India-Africa Forum Summit will open up new vistas of cooperation between India and Africa."

The President hosted the visiting dignitaries over banquet here last evening.

The two-day summit, which commenced on Tuesday, is attending by heads of states of 14 African nations, who have been chosen by the 54-nation African Union.

Earlier, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh said that India wished to see the 21st century as the "Century of Asia and Africa" with the people of both continents working together to promote inclusive globalization.

Dr. Singh also announced a Duty Free Tariff Preference Scheme for Least Developed Countries to mark a beginning in the long history of civilisational contacts, friendship and cooperation between India and Africa.

He said the transfer of knowledge and human skills would strengthen the mutual capabilities, while the emerging common challenges of food security, energy security, pandemics, terrorism and climate change should have cooperative mechanisms for exchange of views, consultation to work out common strategies for addressing these pressing issues.

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan today said the first ever India-Africa Forum Summit has adopted the Delhi Declaration and the Africa-India Framework for Cooperation, which constitute the blueprint for our cooperation in the 21st Century.

In his opening remarks at the concluding session, Singh said: "The decision to expand unilateral duty free and preferential market access for exports from all the 50 Least Developed Countries and the offer of lines of credit amounting to 5.4 billion U.S. dollars are steps in this direction".

The enhancement of our budget for technical assistance and training programmes and, greater opportunities for African students to pursue studies in India reflect the priority we attach to human resource development and capacity building, he said.

Taking note of the constructive discussion held on issues like food and energy security, UN reforms, climate change and trade, Singh said, "India offered to assist Africa through holistic capacity building in agricultural production, storage and transportation".

India and Africa today also declared that they are going to support each other for a permanent seat in the expanded United Nations Security Council.

They also favoured reforms of the world body to make it more representative and democratic.

President of Tanzania Jakaya Kikwete said this in his closing remarks at the India-Africa Forum Summit today.

"We are ready to pitch for reform of the UN Security Council to make it more representative, to make it more democratic," said Kikwete.

A Delhi Declaration adopted at the two-day summit, was attended by heads of states of 14 African nations, who have been chosen by the 54-nation African Union noted the "active and constructive" engagement of both sides in the process of reform of the UN.

"We agree to further strengthen cooperation between our two sides towards early realisation of a genuine reform of the UN and its working methods particularly revitalising and enhancing the role of the General Assembly and reform and expansion of the Security Council," it said.

Both countries also condemned terrorism in all its forms and said they sought compliance of member states with all international terrorism conventions and related protocols and Security Council resolutions on counter-terrorism.

"We also agree to make concerted efforts towards expeditious finalisation of a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism at the UN," they said.

India and Africa also called for negotiation that would reduce and finally eliminate nuclear weapons, thereby leading to a world free from all weapons of mass destruction.

On the sidelines of the Summit several events like the first ever India-Africa Editors Conference, joint performances by Indian and African cultural troupes a seminar of intellectuals from Africa and India on India-Africa Partnership in the 21st century, a programme for youth and women from Africa and a business conclave were organized.

The summit was attended by heads of states of 14 African nations, who have been chosen by the 54-nation African Union.

On the sidelines of the Summit several events like the first ever India-Africa Editors Conference, joint performances by Indian and African cultural troupes a seminar of intellectuals from Africa and India on India-Africa Partnership in the 21st century, a programme for youth and women from Africa and a business conclave were organized.

The summit was attended by heads of states of 14 African nations, who have been chosen by the 54-nation African Union. (ANI)