By Aroonim Bhuyan
New Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three-nation visit from November 16 to 21 that took him to Nigeria, Brazil and Guyana can well be seen from the perspective of India positioning itself as the voice of the Global South. This approach is rooted in India’s historical legacy of non-alignment and solidarity with fellow developing countries, coupled with its growing geopolitical and economic clout.
Only last year, during the course of its G20 presidency, India brought on board the intergovernmental forum the 55-nation African Union (AU) that comprises a major chunk of the Global South. The G20 now comprises 19 countries, the European Union (EU) and the AU. Since assuming the presidency of the G20 and then passing it on to Brazil, India has hosted three editions of Voice of the Global South Summit (VOGSS) – in January and November 2023 and in August 2024.
Though the world was once divided into developed and developing nations, the term ‘Global South’ gained prominence following the depiction of such nations in a report titled ‘North-South: A Programme for Survival’ by the then Chancellor of the erstwhile West Germany Willy Brandt in the 1980s. Called the Brandt Line, it divides the world at a latitude of approximately 30oNorth, passing between the United States and Mexico, north of Africa and the Middle East, climbing north over China and Mongolia, then dipping south to include Japan, Australia, and New Zealand in the “Rich North”. Though the Line has been criticised for being outdated, yet is still regarded as a helpful way to visualise global inequalities.
NIGERIA: MAJOR AFRICAN CONNECT IN GLOBAL SOUTH
Modi started his sojourn in the Global South with a visit to Nigeria from November 16 to 17 at the invitation of Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This was the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Nigeria in 17 years. Nigeria has Africa’s largest population of around 220 million and is the fourth-largest economy in the continent. It is a founding member of the AU and plays a pivotal role in African politics and regional stability.
During the delegation-level talks between Modi and President Tinubu, trade, investment, defence, security, education, health, culture and people-to-people ties figured prominently. The two leaders also focused on further enhancing the strategic partnership in various sectors, in particular, in agriculture, pharmaceuticals, railways, transportation and development cooperation fields. Three memorandums of understanding (MoUs) covering the areas of cultural exchange program, customs cooperation and survey cooperation were exchanged by the two sides following the talks.
“There are about 200 Indian companies who have invested about $27 billion in this country and the two leaders have discussed ways to further expand this economic partnership for the mutual benefit of the two countries,” Dammu Ravi, Secretary (Economic Relations) in the Ministry of External Affairs, said while briefing the media during the course of the visit in Nigeria’s capital Abuja. “Indian companies are also creating a large number of jobs in Nigeria. Capacity building with a large number of scholarship and digital education methods, Nigerian students have availed significant facilities both in this country and also in India under the ITEC (Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation) programme. Both leaders have also discussed global and regional issues and in that context they have reiterated their commitment to further deepen their commitment to the Global South and how to take forward the agenda of the Global South in the global discourse, particularly to meet the aspirations of developing countries.”
In a special honour, President Tinubu conferred on Modi Nigeria’s highest national award, the Grand Commander of the Order of Niger, in recognition of the latter’s contributionto strengthening India-Nigeria ties. Prime Minister Modi is the first foreign leader to be conferred this National Award since 1969 when late Queen Elizabeth II of Britain was honoured with it.
Modi dedicated this honour to the 1.4 billion people of India and to the enduring friendship between India and Nigeria.
“This honour will continue to inspire us to take the Strategic Partnership between India and Nigeria to new heights,” Modi said. “Relations between India and Nigeria are based on mutual cooperation, harmony and mutual respect. As two vibrant democracies and dynamic economies, we have consistently worked together for the welfare of our peoples. The social and cultural diversity in both our countries is our identity, our strength. Nigeria’s ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ and India’s ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’ have many things in common.”
Modi also praised the 60,000-strong Indian community in Nigeria for playing a vital role in strengthening ties between the two nations.
BRAZIL: G20 SUMMIT AND SIGNIFICANT BILATERALS
From Nigeria, Prime Minister Modi left for Brazil to participate in this year’s G20 Summit. India is part of the troika of the G20 having hosted last year’s summit in New Delhi, the other being South Africa which will host next year’s gathering of the intergovernmental forum.
The G20 Summit provides an opportunity for leaders of the 21 largest economies in the world, representing about 88 percent of the global GDP, 78 prcent of international trade and nearly three quarters of the world’s population to come together and discuss key issues impacting the world such as progress on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, multilateral reforms, tackling environmental and climate challenges, debt sustainability, bridging the global digital divide, energy transition and emerging technologies.
The theme of this year’s G20 Summit was ‘Building a Just World and a Sustainable Planet. The three key priorities of the Brazilian Presidency were ‘social inclusion and the fight against hunger and poverty’, ‘energy transitions and the promotion of sustainable development in its economic, social and environmental dimensions’ and ‘reform of global governance institutions’.
Addressing the session on ‘Social Inclusion and the Fight against Hunger and Poverty’, Modi said that the countries of the Global South are most adversely impacted by the food, fuel and fertiliser crisis caused by global conflicts.
“So our discussions can only be successful when we keep in mind the challenges and priorities of the Global South,” he stated. “And just as we amplified the voice of the Global South by granting permanent membership of G20 to the African Union during the New Delhi Summit, we will reform institutions of global governance.”
Speaking at a separate session on ‘Sustainable Development and Energy Transition’, the Prime Minister stressed on the economic development of the countries of the Global South.
“Economic development is a priority for countries of the Global South, and in particular, for Small Island Developing States,” Modi stated. “In the digital age, and given the growing influence of AI, the need for a balanced and appropriate energy mix becomes all the more important. Therefore affordable and assured climate finance for energy transition in the Global South has become even more important.”
He also highlighted that India has sharing its successful experiences with all friendly countries, in particular with the Global South.
“To this end, during the 3rd Global South Summit, we had also announced a Global Development Compact. I urge all of you to join us in this initiative and partner with us in our efforts,” he said.
As the G20 troika, India, Brazil and South issued a joint ‘Declaration on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data for Governance’.
The final Rio de Janeiro Declaration of the 2024 G20 Summit emphasised the taxation of billionaires, energy transition, support for COP30 in Brazil, and solutions to global challenges, with a focus on sustainable growth and the fight against poverty. The document, which achieved consensus among all member countries, reinforces the group’s commitment to addressing global challenges and promoting strong, sustainable, and inclusive growth.
The leaders emphasised the importance of coordinated actions to combat climate change, promote just energy transitions, and preserve the environment. They also stressed on the need for comprehensive reform in global governance, including strengthening the United Nations, modernising the international financial system, fostering an inclusive multilateral trading system, and promoting the ethical development of AI.
On the sidelines of the G20 Summit, Modi held a number of bilateral meetings with leaders of participating nations that saw significant outcomes.
A an important outcome of a bilateral meeting between Modi and his British counterpart Keir Starmer was to resume negotiations for the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA). According to a statement issued by the External Affairs Ministry, both leaders underlined the importance of resuming the FTA negotiations at an early date and “expressed confidence in the ability of the negotiating teams, to address the remaining issues to mutual satisfaction, leading to a balanced, mutually beneficial and forward looking ”FTA. Following the meeting, Starmer announced the India-UK FTA negotiations will start from early next year.
Modi also held a bilateral meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, which was their fifth meeting in two years. During the meeting, the two leaders reiterated their commitment to advancing the India-Italy Strategic Partnership and announced a Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-29 which outlines their vision for the next five years. The Action Plan will pursue joint collaborations, programmes and initiatives in key sectors of trade and investment, science and technology, new and emerging technologies, clean energy, space, defence, connectivity and people-to-people linkages.
In another bilateral meeting Modi held with French President Emmanuel Macron, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to advance the India-France Strategic Partnership as well as their shared vision for bilateral cooperation and international partnership, outlined in the Horizon 2047 roadmap and other bilateral declarations. According to an External Affairs Ministry statement, the two leaders commended the progress achieved in bilateral cooperation, including in strategic areas such as defence, space and civil nuclear energy, and committed to accelerating it further with a view to reinforcing their shared commitment to strategic autonomy.
“The two leaders commended the strengthening of trade, investment, and technology ties, including in the areas of digital technology and Artificial Intelligence, as well as India France partnership on Digital Public Infrastructure,” the Ministry statement reads.
Modi also held separate bilateral meetings with Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Store, Prime Minister of Portugal Luis Montenegro, new President of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto, President of Argentina Javier Mile, President of Chile Gabriel Boric Font and President of G20 Summit host Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
GUYANA: THE CARIBBEAN CONNECTION
Concluding his G20 engagements in Brazil, Modi left for Guyana on the third and final leg of his three-nation tour where he was warmly received by Guyanaese President Mohamed Irfaan Ali, a person of Indian origin, and Prime Minister Mark Anthony Philips. This was the first prime ministerial visit from India to Guyana in over half acentury. Around 40 percent of Guyana’s population of 800,000 comprises people of Indian origin. Most of them are descendants of Indian indentured labour brought since the 19th century to work in sugarcane plantations.
Following a restricted meeting, Modi and President Ali held delegation-level talks.
“Underlining the deep-rooted historical ties between India and Guyana, Prime Minister noted that his visit would add a strong impetus to bilateral ties,” the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement. “The two leaders held extensive discussions on several aspects of the multifaceted ties between India and Guyana, including defence, trade and investment, health and pharma, traditional medicine, food security, infrastructure development, digital public infrastructure, capacity building, culture and people-to-people ties.”
Guyana has also emerged as an important partner for India in terms of energy security after significant reserves of oil and gas were discovered there in recent years.
“Taking stock of the ongoing cooperation in the energy sector, the two leaders noted that there exists immense potential to enhance partnership in the hydrocarbons as well as renewable energy space,” the Ministry statement reads.
It further stated that with development cooperation being an important pillar of India-Guyana partnership, Modi conveyed India’s continued support to the South American nation to meet its development aspirations.
Ten memorandums of understanding (MoUs), including on cooperation in the hyrdrocarbons sector, agriculture and allied sectors, health and medicine, and digitalisation, were signed following the talks.
In another ceremony at the State House in Georgetown, President Irfaan Ali conferred upon Modi the highest national award of Guyana, ‘The Order of Excellence”’, for his “visionary statesmanship, for championing the rights of developing countries on the global stage, for exceptional service to the global community and for his commitment to strengthening India-Guyana relations”. While accepting the award, the Prime Minister dedicated the honour to the people of India and to the deep-rooted historical ties between the people of the two countries.
During the course if his stay in Georgetown, the Prime Minister also addressed the National Assembly of the Parliament of Guyana. He became the first Indian prime minister to do so.
In his address, Prime Minister recalled the longstanding historical ties between India and Guyana. He noted that in spite of the geographical distance between India and Guyana, shared heritage and democracy brought the two nations close together. He said that India’s mantra of ‘Humanity First’ inspires it to amplify the voice of the Global South, including at the recent G-20 Summit in Brazil.
“We have never moved forward with the idea of expansionism. We have always stayed away from the idea of resource capturing,” Modi said, highlighting India’s stance on global issues. He further stressed that the world should focus on cooperation in space and seas.
“This is not time for conflict, this is the time to identify the conditions that create conflicts and remove them,” he further stated.
In a separate event, Modi addressed the Indian community in Guyana. Highlighting that our commonalities provided a strong foundation to India-Guyana friendship, he said that culture, cuisine and cricket were three important things in particular that connected India with Guyana. He added that this year’s Diwali was special as Shri Ram Lalla had returned to Ayodhya after 500 years. He further added that the people of India also remembered that the holy water and shilas from Guyana were also sent to build the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
A major highlight of Modi’s visit to Guyana was his participation in the Second India-CARICOM Summit in Georgetown. The First India-CARICOM Summit was held in 2019 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM or CC) is an intergovernmental organisation that is a political and economic union of 15 member states (14 nation-states and one dependency) and five associated members throughout the Americas, the Caribbean and Atlantic Ocean. It has the primary objective to promote economic integration and cooperation among its members, ensure that the benefits of integration are equitably shared, and coordinate foreign policy.
In recent times, India has undertaken the policy of focusing more on the Caribbean and Latin American regions. This highlights New Delhi’s evolving approach to engage with the neglected regions of the world or the Global South. This has become imperative in the contemporary world with dynamic geopolitics full of uncertainties.
To further build on India’s close development partnership and strong people to people ties with the region, Prime Minister Modi, addressing the Summit, offered assistance to CARICOM countries in seven key areas: capacity building; agriculture and food security; renewable energy and climate change; innovation, technology and trade; cricket and culture; ocean economy and maritime security; and medicine and healthcare.
“The CARICOM leaders welcomed Prime Minister’s seven-point plan for strengthening partnership between India and CARICOM,” a statement issued by the External Affairs Ministry reads. “They appreciated India’s leadership of the Global South and its strong support for climate justice for the Small Island Developing States. They called for reform of global institutions and in this regard looked forward to working closely with India.”
On the sidelines of the Summit, Sylvanie Burton, President of the Commonwealth of Dominica conferred the country’s highest national award, ‘Dominica Award of Honour’, on Modi for his statesmanship, support to Dominica during the COVID-19 pandemic and for his commitment to strengthening India and Dominica ties. Modi dedicated the honour to the people of India and to the deep-rooted historical and cultural ties between India and Dominica. He expressed confidence that the bilateral bond between the two nations will continue to grow and deepen in the years ahead.
Prime Modi’s successful visit to Nigeria, Brazil, and Guyana underscored India’s commitment to championing the cause of the Global South on the world stage. By fostering deeper bilateral ties, advocating for equitable global governance, and highlighting India’s developmental initiatives, the Prime Minister reinforced India’s role as a bridge between emerging economies and established powers.
