Lokesh Bats for Strong Academic, Trade, Sports Ties With Australia
Nara Lokesh proposed dual degree courses and twinning programmes between Griffith and leading AP institutions, such as SRM-AP, Andhra University and VIT-AP.
Vijayawada: Education, IT and Electronics minister Nara Lokesh, on the fourth day of his tour in Australia, held a series of high-level meetings for arriving at or elevating AP’s partnership with Australia in education, trade, aquaculture, and sports infrastructure.
During a meeting with Griffith University vice president (Global) Marnie Watson at the Gold Coast campus, Lokesh urged the establishment of a Griffith University India Centre in Andhra Pradesh to coordinate research, student exchange and academic collaborations. He sought partnership with the Ratan Tata Innovation Hub for joint programmes in sustainability, innovation and public policy.
The minister proposed dual degree courses and twinning programmes between Griffith and leading AP institutions, such as SRM-AP, Andhra University and VIT-AP. Inviting Griffith to the Partnership Summit 2025 and Global Education Forum in Visakhapatnam this November, Lokesh urged the university to participate in joint research on renewable energy, public health and water management.
During his engagement at the Indian Consulate in Brisbane, Lokesh addressed an India-Australia Business Round Table, highlighting Andhra Pradesh’s growing role in bilateral trade. He noted that India’s exports to Australia—ranging from refined petroleum and pharmaceuticals to textiles and agri-products—have been driven significantly by AP-based industries. The 2022 Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA), he said, had doubled trade volumes between the two nations to $24.1 billion by 2024–25.
“Under the visionary leadership of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Andhra Pradesh has emerged as India’s gateway for global investments,” the AP minister underlined, pointing to the ₹10 lakh crore investments secured in the last 16 months. He cited Google’s ₹1.33 lakh crore AI Hub in Visakhapatnam and ArcelorMittal’s ₹1.35 lakh crore steel plant near Anakapalli as milestones that have made AP the most-preferred destination for investors. He invited Australian industrialists to visit the Partnership Summit to explore AP’s industrial policies, incentives and infrastructure.
Focusing on aquaculture, Lokesh discussed collaborative opportunities with Prof. Kyall Zenger of James Cook University’s Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture. He sought technical support to enhance genetic tools for improving shrimp and fish farming in AP, especially for Black Tiger and Barramundi species. He called for AI-based monitoring systems and training of farmers on sustainable aquaculture practices and feed optimisation.
At the Education Roundtable hosted by Queensland Trade and Investment Centre, the minister underlined Andhra Pradesh’s pioneering curriculum reforms. “We are introducing AI education in high school itself to help youth harness opportunities emerging from the artificial intelligence revolution,” he emphasised, adding that an AI University and labs in schools are being planned to bolster learning in AI, STEM and robotics.
Lokesh’s day ended at a meeting with Populous, the globally renowned sports architecture firm behind iconic venues like the London Olympic Stadium and Ahmedabad’s Motera Stadium. He urged the firm’s senior principal architect Sean Gallagher to design world-class stadiums and training facilities in AP, aligning with the AP CM’s vision to make Andhra Pradesh a sports hub. He sought environment-friendly, community-oriented and energy-efficient designs to promote sports, tourism and culture at grassroots level.
