New Delhi, July 2 — Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday embarked on a week-long, five-nation diplomatic tour — his longest in the past decade — with a focus on strengthening India’s engagement with the Global South and reinforcing multilateral cooperation through platforms such as BRICS, the African Union, ECOWAS, and CARICOM.
The tour includes stops in Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina, Brazil, and Namibia, and will culminate with Modi’s participation in the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro on July 6-7.
“As a founding member, India is committed to BRICS as a vital platform for cooperation among emerging economies,” Modi said in a departure statement. “Together, we strive for a more peaceful, equitable, just, democratic and balanced multipolar world order.”
The BRICS group now includes 10 nations: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Indonesia, and the UAE.
In addition to attending the summit in Rio, the Prime Minister will also undertake a bilateral state visit to Brasília — the first by an Indian Prime Minister to Brazil in nearly six decades. Modi said he looked forward to working with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to strengthen ties and advance priorities of the Global South.
“This visit will provide an opportunity to strengthen our close partnership with Brazil,” Modi noted, adding that Brazil remains a crucial ally in pushing forward a South-led development agenda.
The tour began in Ghana, where Modi was received by President John Dramani Mahama. During the July 2–3 visit, the focus is on collaboration in investment, energy, health, security, and development. Modi called Ghana a “valued partner” within the African Union and ECOWAS. He also described addressing the Ghanaian Parliament as “an honour for both countries as fellow democracies.”
The Prime Minister’s next stop is Trinidad and Tobago on July 3–4, where he will meet President Christine Carla Kangaloo and Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, recently sworn in for her second term. The visit marks 180 years since the first Indians arrived in the Caribbean nation.
“This visit will provide an opportunity to rejuvenate the special bonds of ancestry and kinship that unite us,” Modi said, calling the country a place of “deep-rooted historical, cultural and people-to-people connect.”
On July 5, Modi will arrive in Buenos Aires, marking the first bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Argentina in 57 years. He is scheduled to meet President Javier Milei, with whom he held talks last year. “Argentina is a key economic partner in Latin America and a close collaborator in the G20,” the Prime Minister said, citing energy, agriculture, trade, technology and critical minerals as focus areas.
In Brazil, Modi will attend the BRICS Summit and then proceed to Brasília for a bilateral meeting with President Lula. The visit, coming after nearly six decades, is expected to expand India-Brazil cooperation and push shared concerns of the Global South onto the global agenda.
The final stop is Namibia, where Modi will meet President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah. Highlighting the “common history of struggle against colonialism” shared by both nations, the Prime Minister said, “It will be a privilege to address the Joint Session of Namibian Parliament as we celebrate our enduring solidarity and shared commitment for freedom and development.”
Looking ahead to the outcomes of the visit, Modi expressed confidence that the tour would “reinforce our bonds of friendship across the Global South, strengthen our partnerships on both sides of the Atlantic, and deepen engagements in the multilateral platforms.”
The week-long tour marks a strategic move by India to not only assert its leadership among developing nations but also renew bilateral relations in Latin America and Africa, regions that are central to India’s evolving foreign policy outreach.
