Explained | PM Modi’s 9-Day, 5-Nation Tour: Strengthening Ties with the Global South

New Delhi — Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to embark on one of his longest overseas visits as he kicks off a nine-day, five-nation diplomatic tour on Tuesday (July 1). Spanning Africa, the Caribbean, and South America, this carefully calibrated itinerary reflects India’s growing outreach to the Global South — a term encompassing developing countries across the Southern Hemisphere.

This high-level visit, which includes Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina, Brazil, and Namibia, is significant not only for its scale and timing, but also for the depth of engagement it seeks to foster in trade, strategic cooperation, diaspora relations, and global governance.

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Ghana: A Historic Visit to West Africa

PM Modi’s first stop will be Ghana, marking his first bilateral visit to the country and the first by an Indian Prime Minister in nearly three decades. Ghana’s President John Mahama, who took office earlier this year, had last visited India in 2015 for the India-Africa Forum Summit.

Ghana is among West Africa’s fastest-growing economies. India remains its top export destination, with gold making up over 70% of imports from Ghana. During his visit, PM Modi is expected to hold wide-ranging talks with President Mahama to review the bilateral partnership and identify new areas of cooperation — particularly in economy, energy, defence, and development assistance.

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Trinidad & Tobago: Celebrating 180 Years of Indian Heritage

On July 3-4, the Prime Minister will travel to Trinidad and Tobago — home to one of the largest Indian diasporas in the Caribbean. This marks the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister since 1999, underlining the symbolic and strategic importance of the trip.

India shares deep cultural ties with the island nation, where over 40% of the population traces its roots to India. Both the Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and President Christine Carla Kangaloo are of Indian descent. The visit coincides with the 180th anniversary of the arrival of Indian indentured laborers, adding emotional resonance to the occasion.

Economic ties are also on the rise, with bilateral trade reaching $341.61 million in FY 2024-25. This is PM Modi’s second visit to the Caribbean in under a year, following his trip to Guyana in November 2024.

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Argentina: First Indian PM Visit in Nearly Six Decades

From July 4 to 5, PM Modi will visit Argentina, making him the first Indian Prime Minister in 57 years to undertake a bilateral trip to the South American nation. He will meet President Javier Milei, often described as U.S. President Donald Trump’s “favorite president.”

India and Argentina have built strong cooperation in the mining and agriculture sectors, especially around lithium — a critical mineral for India’s clean energy push. Argentina is also a major exporter of soybean and sunflower oil to India. In 2024, India emerged as Argentina’s fifth-largest trading partner.

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Brazil: BRICS Summit and Strategic Partnership

From July 5 to 8, the Prime Minister will participate in the BRICS Leaders’ Summit in Rio de Janeiro, hosted by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Discussions will focus on major global issues including the reform of global governance, peace and security, multilateralism, climate change, AI regulation, and public health.

Following the Summit, PM Modi will undertake a State Visit to Brasilia, where he will meet President Lula again to discuss strengthening the Strategic Partnership between India and Brazil — South America’s largest economy and India’s top trading partner in the region.

Key areas on the agenda include trade, defence, energy, technology, agriculture, and space cooperation.

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Namibia: From Cheetahs to Commerce

The final stop of the tour on July 9 will be Namibia — marking Modi’s first visit to the country and the third-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister. He will meet President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, pay tribute to Namibia’s founding father Dr. Sam Nujoma, and address the Parliament.

Bilateral trade has seen dramatic growth, from under $3 million in 2000 to nearly $600 million today. Indian companies are actively engaged in mining, diamond processing, manufacturing, and services in the country.

Notably, in 2022, eight cheetahs from Namibia were relocated to India’s Kuno National Park as part of the world’s first intercontinental large carnivore translocation project — a unique conservation collaboration that brought the two nations into the global spotlight.

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Why This Tour Matters

PM Modi’s latest diplomatic outreach underscores India’s growing ambition to shape global narratives from the perspective of the Global South. As India deepens ties with developing nations across Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean, it positions itself as a bridge between the developing and developed world — one that champions inclusivity, cooperation, and sustainable development.

This tour is not just about bilateral relationships — it’s a statement of India’s evolving global role.