PM Modi’s Historic Five-Nation Tour: Strengthening Global South Partnerships and Defence Cooperation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on July 2, 2025, on his most ambitious diplomatic mission in a decade—an eight-day, five-nation tour spanning Ghana, Trinidad & Tobago, Argentina, Brazil, and Namibia. This landmark journey represents India’s strategic commitment to deepening engagement with the Global South, strengthening multilateral partnerships, and advancing defence cooperation across Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

Ghana: First Stop in Historic Africa Outreach

PM Modi’s visit to Ghana on July 2-3 marks the first bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the West African nation in over three decades. Hosted by President John Dramani Mahama, the visit focuses on enhancing cooperation in investment, energy, health, security, capacity building, and development partnerships.

Ghana serves as a valued partner in the Global South and plays a crucial role in the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The Prime Minister will address the Parliament of Ghana—an honor he described as significant for both countries as fellow democracies.

Key discussions include economic cooperation, agriculture, defence, digital infrastructure, and establishing a regional vaccine hub for West Africa. The visit aims to expand India’s engagement with regional bodies like ECOWAS and the African Union, while several agreements are expected, including renewal of the Joint Commission, cultural exchange programs, and collaboration in Ayurveda and standards.

Trinidad & Tobago: Celebrating 180 Years of Indian Heritage

From July 3-4, PM Modi will visit Trinidad & Tobago, marking 180 years since the first Indians arrived in the Caribbean nation in 1845. The visit celebrates deep-rooted historical, cultural, and people-to-people connections between the two countrie.

The first ship ‘Fatel Razack’ carrying 225 Indian indentured workers reached Trinidad’s shores on May 30, 1845. Today, 548,279 persons of Indian origin live in Trinidad & Tobago, comprising over one-third of the nation’s 1.5 million population. PM Modi will meet President Christine Carla Kangaloo, who was the Chief Guest at this year’s Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, and Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who recently assumed office for a second term.

Argentina: First Bilateral Visit in 57 Years

PM Modi’s visit to Argentina on July 4-5 represents the first bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister in 57 years, marking a historic milestone in India-Argentina relations. Argentina is a strategic partner of India since 2019, and the two countries celebrated 75 years of diplomatic relations in 2024.

Both leaders will focus on advancing cooperation in agriculture, critical minerals, energy, trade, technology, and investment. Argentina holds the world’s second-largest shale gas reserves and fourth-largest shale oil reserves, making it a potentially important energy partner for India. The country’s rich reserves of critical minerals such as lithium, copper, and rare earth elements complement India’s growing need for secure supplies for clean energy transition.

India’s public sector company KABIL has already won mining concessions in Argentina since 2024, while an MOU on cooperation in mineral resources was signed in August 2022, with the first Joint Working Group meeting held in January 2025.

Brazil: BRICS Summit and Historic Bilateral Engagement

The centerpiece of PM Modi’s tour is his participation in the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro on July 6-7, followed by a bilateral state visit to Brasilia—the first by an Indian Prime Minister in nearly six decades.

BRICS Summit: Expanded Membership and Global South Leadership

BRICS now comprises 11 member countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and the United Arab Emirates. The grouping represents 49.5% of global population, 40% of global GDP, and 26% of global trade.

The Brazilian chairship theme is “Strengthening Global South Cooperation for More Inclusive and Sustainable Governance”. The summit will culminate in high-level declarations on financing climate change regimes and governance of artificial intelligenc. Additionally, nine partner countries have joined BRICS: Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan.

Defence Cooperation with Brazil

Brazil has expressed significant interest in Indian defence systems, particularly the Akash surface-to-air missile system used during Operation Sindoor. Brazilian officials are interested in secure battlefield communication systems, offshore patrol vessels (OPVs), coastal surveillance systems, and Garuda artillery guns.

Brazil also seeks collaboration on maintaining its Scorpene submarines and joint ventures in defence manufacturing. India’s Export-Import Bank is set to open its first office in Brazil to facilitate defence exports and joint ventures.

Namibia: Strengthening Southern Africa Partnerships

PM Modi’s final destination is Namibia on July 8-9, marking his first visit to the Southwest African nation and the third-ever Prime Ministerial visit from India to Namibi. This is also the first bilateral state visit that President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah is hosting after assuming office in March 2025.

Both countries share a common history of struggle against colonialism. PM Modi will pay homage to Namibia’s founding father and first President, late Dr. Sam Nujoma, and address the Joint Session of the Namibian Parliament.

Key cooperation areas include trade and investment, environment, education, health, and ICT. India is Namibia’s top partner under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) program, positioning Namibia as a gateway to Southern Africa.

Strategic Significance and Multilateral Engagement

This five-nation tour reinforces India’s leadership role in the Global South while strengthening partnerships across the Atlantic. PM Modi emphasized that the visits will deepen engagements in multilateral platforms such as BRICS, the African Union, ECOWAS, and CARICOM.

The tour comes at a time when global demand for critical minerals is rising, and institutions like KABIL and National Mineral Development Corporation are actively exploring investment opportunities in Africa and Latin America. Critical minerals, defence cooperation, and digital public infrastructure will be key discussion points throughout the journey.

Economic and Trade Dimensions

Bilateral trade between India and Brazil stands at $12 billion, making Brazil India’s largest trading partner in South America. The tour focuses on expanding cooperation in critical minerals, energy, agriculture, technology, and investment across all five nations.

The visit represents India’s commitment to human-centric development and enhanced cooperation with emerging economies. It demonstrates India’s growing role as a responsible global power and its commitment to South-South cooperation.

PM Modi’s eight-day diplomatic marathon underscores India’s strategic vision of building a multipolar world order while advancing the priorities of the Global South3. The tour positions India as a key partner for Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean, reinforcing its commitment to peaceful, equitable, just, democratic, and balanced global governance