Our Bureau
New Delhi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday departed for Johannesburg, South Africa, to attend the G20 Summit.
In his departure statement, Prime Minister Modi called the G20 summit being held in Africa a “special summit”. South Africa will host the G20 Leaders’ Summit, the first to be held on African soil. During India’s Presidency of the G20 in 2023, the African Union became a member of the G20.
In a post on X, PM Modi said, “Will be attending the G20 Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa. This is a particularly special Summit as it is being held in Africa. Various global issues will be discussed there. Will be meeting various world leaders during the Summit.”
“The Summit will be an opportunity to discuss key global issues. The theme of this year’s G20 has been ‘Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability’, by which South Africa has carried forward the outcomes from the previous Summits held in New Delhi, India and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I will present India’s perspective at the Summit in line with our vision of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ and ‘One earth, One Family and One future,” Prime Minister said.
“During the visit, I also look forward to my interaction with the Indian diaspora in South Africa, which is one of the largest outside India,” he added.
This summit is the fourth consecutive G20 meeting hosted by the Global South, following Indonesia, India, and Brazil’s presidencies. Prior to South Africa, the G20 presidencies were held by Brazil (2024), India (2023) and Indonesia (2022).
PM Modi will attend the summit from November 21 to 23, marking a significant milestone as the first G20 summit held on the African continent. This will be PM Modi’s fourth official visit to South Africa, following his bilateral visit in 2016 and his attendance at the two BRICS summits in 2018 and 2023.
On the sidelines of the Summit, PM Modi will also participate in the 6th IBSA (India-Brazil-South Africa) Summit, where the leaders of the three major democracies of the Global South are expected to review cooperation and discuss avenues to deepen their strategic partnership.
The Prime Minister further expressed enthusiasm about meeting the Indian diaspora in South Africa, one of the largest and most vibrant Indian-origin communities outside India. He described his upcoming interaction with the diaspora as a moment of personal warmth and cultural connection.
During the visit, PM Modi is expected to hold bilateral meetings with several world leaders to strengthen India’s global partnerships and reinforce its commitment to multilateral cooperation.
