India has signed MoU with National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development Consultancy Service (NABCONS) in April 2019 to set up the India - Africa Institute of Agriculture and Rural Development (IAIARD) in which country?

• In April 2019, the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NABCONS to set up the India-Africa Institute of Agriculture and Rural Development (IAIARD).

• The institute is located in Lilongwe, Malawi, and is a significant pan-African project.

• The primary objective is to enhance capacity building in the agriculture sector for African countries.

• It aims to provide training in areas like micro-financing, agricultural marketing, and rural development to students and professionals from across the African continent.

• This initiative is part of India's commitment to supporting the socio-economic development of Africa through South-South cooperation.

Information Booster:

• NABCONS is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), providing consultancy services in agriculture and rural development.

• The project was conceptualized under the India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) framework to strengthen bilateral ties between India and African nations.

Additional Knowledge:

Zambia (Option a) * India has strong bilateral relations with Zambia, particularly in the mining and health sectors.

• However, the IAIARD was not designated to be established here.

Tanzania (Option c) * Tanzania is a key partner for India in the Blue Economy and defense sectors.

• It hosts the first offshore campus of IIT Madras (Zanzibar), but not the IAIARD.

Kenya (Option d) * Kenya is a major trade partner for India in East Africa.

• While India assists Kenya in various agricultural machinery projects, the regional IAIARD institute is not located in Kenya.