In a landmark moment for African diplomacy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on a three-day visit to Johannesburg, South Africa, on Friday to attend the 20th G20 Leaders’ Summit—the first ever to be hosted on the African continent. The summit, scheduled from November 21-23, 2025, marks a historic milestone as it brings together world leaders under the theme “Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability” at a time when global challenges demand unified action.
PM Modi’s Departure and Vision
Prime Minister Modi departed from New Delhi on Friday morning, emphasizing the special nature of this summit in his departure statement. “I am visiting the Republic of South Africa from 21-23 November, 2025 at the invitation of H.E. Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa, to attend the 20th G20 Leaders’ Summit being held in Johannesburg under South Africa’s Presidency,” the Prime Minister stated.
In a reflection of India’s philosophical approach to global governance, PM Modi said he would present India’s perspective at the Summit in line with the vision of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’—a Sanskrit phrase meaning “the world is one family”—and the theme of ‘One Earth, One Family and One Future.’This framework has guided India’s foreign policy and its tenure as G20 President in 2023.
The Prime Minister’s emphasis on these ancient Indian values underscores New Delhi’s commitment to inclusive multilateralism and its role as a voice for developing nations on the global stage.
First G20 Summit in Africa: A Historic Moment
This summit represents a watershed moment for Africa’s engagement with major global powers. “This will be a particularly special Summit given that it would be the first G20 Summit being held in Africa,” PM Modi noted in his statement. The significance is amplified by the fact that during India’s G20 Presidency in 2023, the African Union became a permanent member of the G20, a move that gave the continent of 1.3 billion people greater representation in global economic governance.
The choice of Johannesburg as the venue carries symbolic weight. South Africa, as the continent’s most industrialized economy and a founding member of BRICS, represents Africa’s aspirations for greater influence in shaping global policies on trade, climate change, and development financing.
Secretary (ER) of the Ministry of External Affairs, Sudhakar Dalela, emphasized that the priorities identified by South Africa are aligned with those of India’s G20 Presidency and that of Brazil, ensuring continuity in G20 discussions from the perspective of the Global South.
Summit Agenda and Key Discussion Points
The summit will focus on three critical sessions, each addressing pressing global challenges:
Session 1: Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth
The first session, titled “Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth Leaving No One Behind,” will examine building economies with a focus on the role of trade, financing for development, and addressing the debt burden facing many developing nations. This session is particularly relevant as many African and Asian countries struggle with mounting debt obligations exacerbated by the pandemic and global inflation.
Session 2: A Resilient World – The G20’s Contribution
The second session will tackle “A Resilient World – the G20’s Contribution,” covering disaster risk reduction, climate change, just energy transitions, and food systems. These topics reflect the urgent need for coordinated global action on climate resilience and sustainable development. PM Modi is expected to speak in all three sessions of the Summit, presenting India’s experiences and solutions to these challenges.
Session 3: A Fair and Just Future for All
The third session focuses on “A Fair and Just Future for All,” addressing critical minerals, decent work, and artificial intelligence. The discussion on AI governance and ethical frameworks comes at a time when rapid technological advancement is creating both opportunities and concerns about job displacement and regulatory gaps.
The Johannesburg Summit’s theme, “Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability,” builds upon outcomes from previous summits held in New Delhi, India, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, creating a cohesive narrative for the Global South’s priorities.
India’s G20 Legacy: From New Delhi to Johannesburg
India’s presidency of the G20 from December 2022 to November 2023 left a significant imprint on the group’s agenda. The New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration adopted in September 2023 provided a strong foundation for many G20 outcome documents this year. India’s flagship priorities—including digital public infrastructure, women-led development, and the action plan to accelerate progress on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—have found resonance in the South African presidency.
The Deccan High-Level Principles on Food Security and Nutrition, established during India’s presidency, have been reinforced in this year’s discussions. Commitments to triple renewable energy capacity and double energy efficiency are among other key outcomes strengthened under the South African presidency, demonstrating the continuity of priorities across successive Global South presidencies.
Global South Leadership: Four Consecutive Presidencies
The Johannesburg Summit marks the fourth consecutive G20 meeting hosted by a Global South nation, following Indonesia (2022), India (2023), and Brazil (2024). This unprecedented sequence has shifted the G20’s focus toward issues that matter most to developing nations—debt sustainability, climate finance, technology transfer, and equitable vaccine distribution.
Next year, the presidency will rotate to the United States, making this summit a critical moment for securing deliverables for the Global South and Africa in particular. Analysts note that the consecutive Global South presidencies have created momentum for developing nations to assert their priorities in global economic governance.
The G20, which represents approximately 85% of global GDP, over 75% of global trade, and about two-thirds of the world’s population, has increasingly become a forum where emerging economies can challenge the dominance of traditional Western powers in setting the global economic agenda.
Bilateral Meetings and IBSA Summit
On the margins of the G20 Leaders’ Summit, Prime Minister Modi is expected to hold bilateral meetings with several world leaders present in Johannesburg. These discussions will likely focus on strengthening trade ties, defense cooperation, and coordinating positions on multilateral issues.
A highlight of PM Modi’s visit will be his participation in the 6th India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Leaders’ Meeting, hosted by South Africa. The IBSA forum, established in 2003, brings together three major democracies from the Global South to coordinate on political, economic, and developmental issues. The forum has been instrumental in promoting South-South cooperation and presenting a united voice from developing democracies.
The Prime Minister also looks forward to interacting with the Indian diaspora in South Africa, which is one of the largest outside India. The Indian community in South Africa, numbering over 1.5 million, has deep historical ties to the country, dating back to Mahatma Gandhi’s formative years as a lawyer and activist in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Notable Absences: US, China, and Russia
The summit is notably taking place without the presence of leaders from the United States, China, and Russia—three of the world’s most powerful nations. US President Donald Trump announced he would boycott the summit, citing alleged discrimination against white farmers in South Africa. “I am not going. We have a G20 meeting in South Africa. South Africa shouldn’t even be in the Gs anymore because what’s happened there is bad,” Trump declared at a business forum in Miami.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has rejected Trump’s claims as “completely false,” but the US president’s absence, along with his directive that no US officials attend, has overshadowed some of the summit’s substantive agenda. China and Russia’s leaders are also not attending, though the reasons for their absence have not been publicly specified.
Despite these high-profile absences, representatives of 42 countries are gathering for the summit, ensuring robust discussions on the key agenda items.
South Africa’s Presidency and Priorities
South Africa assumed the year-long G20 Presidency on December 1, 2024, becoming the first African nation to hold this role. The country has used its presidency to champion issues critical to the African continent and the broader Global South, including climate resilience, debt sustainability for poor nations, and growing inequality.
Just ahead of the summit, the European Union and South Africa signed a minerals deal, reflecting the strategic importance of Africa’s mineral resources, particularly those crucial for the green energy transition such as cobalt, lithium, and rare earth elements.
The Johannesburg Summit marks the culmination of the first cycle of 20 G20 presidencies since the forum’s elevation to the leaders’ level in 2008 during the global financial crisis. This milestone offers an opportunity to reflect on the G20’s evolution and effectiveness in addressing global economic challenges.
India’s Diplomatic Position and Contributions
India’s participation in the Johannesburg Summit reinforces its position as a bridge between the developed and developing world. Having successfully hosted the 18th G20 Summit in New Delhi in September 2023, India brings valuable experience and credibility to the discussions.
Then-US President Joe Biden had traveled to India to attend the 2023 G20 Summit, highlighting the importance Western powers placed on engaging with India’s presidency. The summit resulted in the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration, which managed to secure consensus despite geopolitical tensions, particularly regarding the Ukraine conflict.
India’s commitment to the Global South is not merely rhetorical. Through initiatives like the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), the International Solar Alliance (ISA), and its emphasis on digital public infrastructure, India has demonstrated practical solutions that can be scaled and replicated across developing nations.
PM Modi’s expected remarks at all three summit sessions will likely emphasize India’s approach to inclusive development, climate action without compromising growth aspirations, and the need for reformed multilateral institutions that give greater voice to emerging economies.
Diaspora Engagement in South Africa
Prime Minister Modi’s interaction with the Indian diaspora in South Africa is expected to be a significant component of his visit. The Indian community in South Africa traces its roots back to 1860 when the first indentured laborers arrived to work in sugar plantations in Natal. Over generations, this community has made substantial contributions to South African society across business, professions, arts, and politics.
Mahatma Gandhi’s 21 years in South Africa (1893-1914) were instrumental in shaping his philosophy of non-violent resistance, which later became the foundation of India’s independence movement. The connections between the two nations remain strong, with regular people-to-people exchanges, trade relationships, and political cooperation through forums like BRICS and IBSA.
During his previous visits to South Africa—a bilateral visit in 2016 and attendance at BRICS summits in 2018 and 2023—PM Modi has consistently engaged with the diaspora, recognizing their role as cultural ambassadors and contributors to bilateral relations.
Summary
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Johannesburg for the 20th G20 Leaders’ Summit represents a defining moment for Global South diplomacy. As the first G20 summit held on African soil, the gathering underscores the shifting balance in global economic governance toward emerging economies. With India’s strong legacy from its 2023 presidency and South Africa’s focus on solidarity, equality, and sustainability, the summit is poised to advance concrete outcomes on climate resilience, development financing, debt relief, and technological governance.
Despite notable absences, including the United States, China, and Russia, the summit brings together representatives from 42 nations committed to addressing pressing global challenges. PM Modi’s emphasis on ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ and India’s track record of bridging divides position New Delhi as a credible voice for inclusive multilateralism.
The Prime Minister’s participation in the IBSA Summit and bilateral meetings on the sidelines will further strengthen India’s strategic partnerships across continents. As the baton passes from South Africa to the United States for the 2026 presidency, this summit marks a critical juncture for the Global South to consolidate gains and ensure that the concerns of developing nations remain central to the G20 agenda.
India’s consistent advocacy for the priorities of the Global South—from digital public infrastructure and renewable energy to food security and disaster resilience—continues to resonate across developing nations, cementing its role as a leader willing to champion their interests on the world stage.
