Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said the relation between India and African countries are exemplary in terms of unity against colonialism and cooperation among developing nations.

He said this at the inauguration of the first edition of the UNESCO-India-Africa Hackathon 2022 being held at the Gautam Buddh University in Greater Noida. The event is hosted by India on the initiative of Union Ministry of Education's Innovation Cell and has 22 participating countries from Africa.?

"Considering the advantage of talent and innovation today's youth has, I am hopeful that together we can find solutions to various problems which are faced by society," Adityanath said, welcoming the foreign participants and delegates to the hackathon.?

"The relation between India and African countries is exemplary in terms of unity against colonialism and cooperation among developing nations. This has been a strong foundation stone of the strong relations between African nations and India,” Adityanath said.

"India has always been an advocate of global welfare and even today it can become a medium for global welfare and represents the same intentions," the chief minister said. He invoked a Sanskrit shloka to stress that India believes in the idea of whole world being one family and added that the country never used force to assert itself on any foreign land.?

He also recalled Mahatma Gandhi's time spent in South Africa and later former South African President Nelson Mandela's life to highlight the "India is establishing new paradigms in support and cooperation with African nations. As part of it, the first edition of the UNESCO India-Africa Hackathon is also being held,” Adityanath said. ?

He said the visiting and local participants will work together during the next 36 hours to come up with innovative solutions on key problems faced in both the regions. ??? ?

"The hackathon is an innovative initiative and will help boost relations between India and the African countries. It also provides opportunities for African students to utilise the education and innovation in India," Adityanath said. ?

"The hackathon is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision, who believes that youth have a role to play in finding solutions to the mainstream problems," he said. ??? ?

He said Uttar Pradesh is among the leading states in India, getting investments in sectors like information technology, electronics, dairy, agro-food processing, renewable energy, industries, textiles, and noted the hackathon participants would be working on solutions for problems in these areas also.

"The state government is firmly resolved to support start-ups and innovation. Policies have been firmed up to ensure an eco-system and culture for start-ups in the state," the chief minister said.?

The UNESCO India – Africa Hackathon is an annual 36-hour event that brings together students, educators, teachers, and the research community of India and its African partners to tackle the common challenges faced by their countries and serves as a facilitator for cultural amalgamation, according to an official note.?

The participant countries are Bostwana, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Togo, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.?

(With PTI Inputs)