Mbabane – India’s High Commissioner to Eswatini, N. Ram Prasad, appeared on Eswatini Television on Tuesday, 12 May 2026, sitting down for interviews on both the Kusile Breakfast Show and The Professional to speak about two major international summits that India will host on 31 May and 1 June 2026, and what they mean for the Kingdom.
The first event is the fourth edition of the India-Africa Forum Summit, open to more than 54 African Union member countries. The second is the International Big Cat Alliance Summit, drawing participation from about 95 countries across Africa, the Americas, Europe and beyond.
Ram Prasad told hosts that India and Africa share deep historical, cultural and demographic ties, pointing to the two landmasses once being geographically joined before the continental split. “India is 1.4 billion, and Africa, the entire Africa, is something similar. So it’s only natural that we have a shared history, we have shared values, shared culture, and we have a youthful population, shared demographic values and shared aspirations. It’s only natural that we should also come together to derive the best synergies for the welfare of our populations,” he said. 
He explained that India’s engagement with Africa is guided by 10 principles, known as the Kampala Principles, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid out when he addressed the Ugandan Parliament. These cover keeping Africa at the top of India’s priorities, sharing digital revolution experience, improving agriculture, combating terrorism, keeping oceans open, and working toward a fair global order that gives voice to nearly 40% of humanity living across Africa and India.
The pillars for the 2026 summit include political and strategic cooperation, economic transformation and trade, agriculture, health, education, space technology, artificial intelligence, climate action and people-to-people exchanges. The summit will conclude with the issuing of a Delhi Declaration, with preparatory meetings set for 28 and 29 May ahead of the leaders summit on 31 May.
On the Big Cat Alliance Summit, Ram Prasad said Eswatini is a founding member of the alliance and ratified the International Big Cat Species Agreement in January 2025, ahead of most other countries. When asked whether that was a political win for India, he was direct. “It is actually a win for Eswatini,” he said, adding that whichever country signs on to the membership stands to benefit. The alliance currently counts about 95 range countries, 25 members and 5 observers
When asked what ordinary Swazis stand to gain, Ram Prasad pointed to tourism as a major opportunity, citing a single tigress and her cub at India’s Ranthambore National Park that alone accounted for $103 million in tourism revenue. “Particular we have the Hlane National Park, you know, which is home to some of the big cats. So, people all over the world spend big money coming to these national parks and spend money on tourism,” he said, placing Hlane alongside game reserves such as the Serengeti, Kruger and Masai Mara as destinations that draw visitors from across the world. “There is tremendous potential for both livelihood, jobs coming, and all the coming into place in a sustainable manner through wildlife conservation,” he added.
He was also asked how Africa’s lions and leopards would fare under an alliance that India, famous for its tigers, is leading. “India is also home to the lion. So, it’s not that we are forgetting the lion. So, we are treating all big cats equally,” he said. India runs Project Tiger, Project Leopard and Project Snow Leopard, and recently brought cheetahs from Namibia to repopulate a species wiped out in India through poaching and hunting. “Please be assured that no big cat will be forgotten. All the big cats will be treated equally and given priority,” Ram Prasad said.
Beyond tourism and jobs, Eswatini will also gain access to climate finance and India’s technical expertise in big cat conservation and population management as a member country. On what India wants in return, Ram Prasad was clear. “We don’t want anything. It’s up to Eswatini to decide what it wants. Whatever is the priority of Eswatini, we will happily and wholeheartedly support it,” he said.
On the link between big cat conservation and climate resilience, Ram Prasad said protecting big cats means protecting forests, which he described as major carbon sinks. “By protecting the big cats we are also protecting the habitat. The conservation of big cats leads to ecological balance and we are protecting the biodiversity all of which will ultimately contribute to the sustainable developmental goals of the world,” he said.
The summit on 1 June will open with statements from world leaders, followed by technical-level discussions on 2 June, where Eswatini officials will participate in shaping national cooperation priorities. Both summits will be broadcast online, with dedicated websites at https://www.iafs2026.in/ and a separate platform for the Big Cat Alliance.
Watch High Commissioner Mr. N. Ram Prasad’s Interview below
