Cultural exchange, work opportunities and mutual trust are taking centre stage at a time when global partnerships are increasingly important. The African Youth Survey 2026 reveals that India’s influence among African youth is rising, with nine in 10 of those surveyed regarding India as an ally. India’s perception as a positive and trusted partner has risen by 8 percentage points since 2024, and 45 per cent of young Africans surveyed say India has some or a lot of influence in their country. Even though India’s overall influence remains below that of China, the European Union, the US, Russia and Germany, it ranks higher on positive influence, with 91 per cent. This places it ahead of the US (85 per cent), France (87 per cent) and Russia (83 per cent). Only China and the United Kingdom, both at 95 per cent, receive a higher positive influence rating than India among the individual countries tested.
The African Youth Survey 2026, commissioned by the Johannesburg-based Ichikowitz Family Foundation and conducted by US-based PSB Insights, interviewed 4,901 young Africans aged 18 to 24 across 16 countries in March 2026. Its first edition was launched in 2020.
According to Ivor Ichikowitz, founder and commissioner of the African Youth Survey, India’s growing influence is a result of its own growth trajectory. “India emerged from colonial rule, backed its entrepreneurs, built technological power and demanded a place at the global table,” Ichikowitz says. “Young Africans look at that journey and see their own possibility.”
India’s rising influence is significant as 70 per cent of African youth accept that the world is becoming more divided and dangerous and that alliances should be chosen intelligently.
Fifty-five per cent felt that countries should prioritise alliances with partners that can deliver benefits such as trade and investment, regardless of their system of government. However, 42 per cent believed that alliances should be based on shared values and political systems, even when they are less effective at delivering tangible benefits.
“India has earned a strong position. The challenge now is to turn that position into a relationship of equals that delivers at scale,” says Ichikowitz. “Africa’s youth will judge India by the same hard test they apply to every global power: does the partnership create jobs, build industry, transfer knowledge and respect African sovereignty,” he adds.
