Modi Undertakes Global South Tour Around G20 Summit 2024
The 19th G20 Summit took place in Rio de Janeiro from 18 to 19 November 2024. In addition to attending the Summit, PM Modi also took the opportunity to visit some countries of the #GlobalSouth, notably, Nigeria, Guyana. Modi’s declared mission is to ‘highlight the priorities of the Global South.’ It is worth recalling that it was under India presidency of the G20 in 2023 that the African Union (AU) became a permanent member of the G20, placing the AU on the same foothold as the EU.
In Nigeria, Modi stated that India are Nigeria are ‘natural partners’ with the former being the world’s democracy and the latter being Africa largest democracy. Both India and Nigeria are seeking a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and both parties vowed to support each other on the matter.
Both sides explored cooperation in defense, energy and #MartimeSecurity. The Gulf of Guinea and the Indian Ocean are infamous for piracy and other illicit traffic. In that regard, both sides can share information, learn from each other and perhaps even cooperate.
Nigeria is India’s largest trading partner in Africa with bilateral trade volume reached a peak of nearly USD 15 billion during fiscal year 2021-2022, but has dwindled to USD 8 billion for fiscal year 2023-2024. Therefore, after this visit, Modi hopes to reverse the trend. Indeed, as the US applies pressure on countries purchasing oil and gas from Russia, India might consider procuring petroleum from Africa.
On the investment side, it is estimated that more than 200 Indian companies have invested a cumulative total of USD 27 billion into Nigeria. Nigeria also counts some 60,000 Indian nationals living and working in the country.
During the visit, Nigerian President Tinubu conferred upon PM Modi the title of Grand Commander of the Order of Niger (GCON). The last foreigner who received such an honor was Queen Elizabeth a little after Nigeria attained its independence.
After the G20 Summit, Indian PM Narendra Modi flew to Guyana where he and his counterpart Guyanese President Irfaan Ali then co-chaired the India-CARICOM Summit which was attended by leaders from the Caribbean region.
It is worth noting that Guyana also possess a vibrant Indian diaspora, as other island states in the Caribbean also do. In fact, PM Modi made it a point to include an interaction with the Indian community in Guyana. Similarly, Guyana conferred the highest honor of the land, the Order of Excellence of Guyana, to PM Modi.
On the sidelines of the G20 Summit, Indian PM Modi held bilateral meetings with Brazil, Argentina and Chile. It is to be recalled that India launched the Global Biofuels Alliance during its G20 presidency and Brazil is a large sugar cane grower and significant bioethanol producer. Additionally, cooperation in the area of biofuels, pharmaceuticals, digitalization, space and defence were discussed.