PM Modi’s Five-Nation Visit: India’s Outreach to the Global S...

PM Modi’s Five-Nation Visit: India’s Outreach to the Global South

July 3, 2025

Why in news?

PM Modi began a five-nation tour from July 2 to 9, 2025, covering Ghana, Trinidad & Tobago, Argentina, Brazil, and Namibia.

What’s in Today’s Article?

Ghana Visit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit marks the first bilateral trip by an Indian PM to Ghana in three decades. It is also his first visit to the country.
India is the largest destination for Ghanaian exports, with gold making up over 70% of India’s imports from Ghana.
A proposal for a vaccine manufacturing hub and digital initiatives highlights India’s COVID-era goodwill, but the presence of China and the EU makes execution competitive and difficult.

Trinidad & Tobago (T&T) Visit

PM Modi’s visit marks his first to Trinidad & Tobago and the first bilateral visit by an Indian PM in over two decades.
Around 40–45% of the Indian diaspora in the Caribbean resides in T&T.
- Both PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar and President Christine Carla Kangaloo are of Indian origin.
The visit also commemorates 180 years since the arrival of Indian immigrants in T&T.
India-T&T bilateral trade reached $341.61 million in FY 2024–25, indicating steady economic growth and deepening commercial relations.
This is PM Modi’s second visit to the Caribbean in eight months, following his trip to Guyana in November 2024, reflecting India’s strategic focus on the region.
Despite this, critics argue that diaspora engagement has yet to translate into meaningful economic or tech collaboration.

Argentina visit

PM Modi’s visit is the first bilateral trip by an Indian PM to Argentina in 57 years.
He will hold talks with President Javier Milei, following their earlier meeting at the G20 Summit in 2024.
India-Argentina ties have grown notably in the mineral resources sector, especially lithium—crucial for India’s green energy goals. Argentina also supplies soybean and sunflower oil to India.
India ranked as Argentina’s fifth-largest trading partner and export destination in 2024, underscoring the growing economic significance of the partnership.
However, political instability under President Javier Milei raises concerns about long-term consistency.

Brazil Visit

PM Modi will attend the BRICS Leaders’ Summit, where he will meet President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Following the summit, PM Modi will undertake a State Visit to Brasilia. He will hold detailed talks with President Lula to deepen the India-Brazil Strategic Partnership.
Brazil remains India’s largest trading partner in South America, underscoring the importance of the relationship.
Still, internal power imbalances—especially China’s assertiveness—pose limitations.

Namibia Visit

PM Modi’s trip marks his first visit to Namibia and only the third by an Indian Prime Minister.
Bilateral trade has surged from under $3 million in 2000 to nearly $600 million in 2025. Indian investments span mining, manufacturing, diamond processing, and services.
The visit recalls the historic 2022 translocation of eight Namibian cheetahs to India’s Kuno National Park—marking the world’s first intercontinental relocation of a major carnivore species.
The visit combines digital diplomacy (launching UPI) and environmental soft power (conservation discussions post-cheetah translocation).
However, India enters a digital investment space already crowded by other global powers.

India’s Global South Outreach: Challenges

PM Modi has embarked on an eight-day, five-nation tour covering three continents.
This visit aims to strengthen India’s diplomatic and economic engagement with the Global South, reflecting India’s aspiration to lead among postcolonial, developing nations.
Championing the Global South: Aspirations vs. Execution
- India has long positioned itself as a voice for the Global South, notably through the 2023 Voice of the Global South Summit.
- However, turning aspirational leadership into actionable, sustainable outcomes remains a significant challenge.
Modest Scale and Follow-Through Deficit
- India’s developmental outreach, while ambitious, often lacks the institutional scale and execution strength seen in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
- Initiatives announced frequently suffer from poor follow-through in infrastructure and trade facilitation.
Overreliance on Soft Power
- Cultural and diaspora diplomacy are important tools but risk becoming hollow without accompanying economic programs.

Conclusion

This tour lays the foundation for new partnerships in critical minerals, digital public goods, climate action, and vaccine production.
It may also signal the emergence of “Modi Doctrine 3.0” – a foreign policy approach centered on Global South solidarity, technology-led diplomacy, and institutional reform.

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