The Prime Minister has said that the relations between India and Africa are marked by strong people-to-people interaction coupled with a deep sense of solidarity and goodwill.Dr Manmohan Singh, who leaves on a six-day visit to Ethiopia and Tanzania today, said in his departure statement that India- Africa partnership is based on equality, mutual trust, and has a consultative, transparent approach.Stating that the ties is a living embodiment of South-South co-operation, he said the partnership rests on three pillars of capacity building and skill transfer, trade and infrastructure development.Dr Singh said the partnership is designed to respond to the needs and priorities of Africa and for India to learn from Africa’s rich experience.Referring to the first India-Africa Forum Summit held in New Delhi in 2008, the Prime Minister said it opened a new chapter in the history of partnership and laid the framework for India’s revitalized engagement with the African continent.On the second summit to be held in Addis Ababa, Dr Manmohan Singh said it will be a landmark event that will for the first time bring together a large gathering of African leaders to meet with India on African soil.Pointing out that both Africa and India are on the move, Dr Singh said Africa is emerging as a new growth pole of the world, while India is on a path of sustained and rapid economic development.Stating that Africa and India have the advantage of a youthful population, commitment to democracy, pluralism and spirit of entrepreneurship, he said these are compelling factors for a strong and purposeful partnership that responds to the realities of the 21st Century.