Assessing the Key Determinants of Economic Development in African Countries in the Context of India-Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation: A Best–Worst Method Approach

Abstract

The rise of BRICS nations has reshaped the structure of global governance and strengthened South-South policy, opening opportunities among developing nations. The study checks the key determinants of economic development in India and Africa. Drawing on empirical data collected from fifteen experts in economics from different fields. The research employs the Best-Worst Method (BWM) approach to systematically identify and prioritise key determinants (Redwan & Shabur, 2025). The data were further analyzed for consistency level and all the data are within the threshold limit. The BWM identifies and ranks the most influential and least influential factors based on expert judgement. The results show that the most important factor affecting India's economic cooperation with Africa is the potential for trade, while the contribution of the Indian diaspora is the least influential, suggesting that the Indian diaspora contribution is crucial for long-term cooperation.