Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has embarked on a high-stakes diplomatic tour from July 2-9, 2025, spanning five nations across Africa, the Caribbean, and South America, with a significant appearance at the BRICS Summit in Brazil. This strategic outreach underscores India’s evolving foreign policy priorities, particularly its effort to consolidate leadership among the Global South. The tour marks a significant step in India’s ambition to deepen partnerships, promote South-South cooperation, and project its growing global influence in a multipolar world.

The Global South—broadly encompassing countries in Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Oceania—has historically been underrepresented in international decision-making structures. Legacies of colonialism, economic disparity, and political marginalization have left many of these nations seeking stronger platforms for voice and agency. India, itself a product of the post-colonial order, has long aligned with these nations through historical platforms like the Non-Aligned Movement. However, under Modi's leadership, India's engagement with the Global South has taken a far more proactive and structured form, transforming historical solidarity into tangible and forward-looking strategic partnerships.

Strategic focus on Africa

Africa holds a particularly strategic place in this vision. With its youthful population, rich mineral and natural resources, and increasing geopolitical importance, Africa offers immense potential for collaborative growth. India’s development partnership model in Africa focuses on demand-driven assistance—extending concessional loans, grants, and technical expertise while respecting local priorities. Unlike Western or Chinese models of engagement, which sometimes come with political or economic strings attached, India’s approach emphasizes transparency, sustainability, and empowerment. Through initiatives in IT training, healthcare, agriculture, and vocational skills, India is building long-term capacity across the continent.

Outreach to South America

South America, though geographically more distant, offers equally promising avenues for engagement. Modi’s outreach to countries like Brazil, which is India’s key partner in the BRICS grouping (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa), is crucial to shaping a multipolar world order. BRICS, in fact, plays a significant role in India’s Global South strategy. The bloc was conceived as a counterbalance to the Western-dominated financial and political architecture, and over the years it has evolved into a major voice for the developing world. 

Importance of BRICS  

India’s leadership in BRICS forums has consistently advocated for reforming institutions such as the United Nations, World Bank, and IMF to better reflect the realities of the 21st century. India sees BRICS not only as a counterbalance to Western-dominated global institutions but also as a platform to promote the interests of the Global South. Modi advocated for the expansion of BRICS’ role in shaping a new international order that reflects contemporary economic and political realities. The summit also provided an opportunity to advance India's proposals on anti-terrorism frameworks, digital public infrastructure, responsible AI, and climate finance.

Perhaps one of the most defining moments of India’s modern Global South diplomacy was the launch of the Voice of the Global South Summit in 2023. Bringing together leaders and ministers from over 120 developing nations, the summit served as a platform for these countries to share their priorities, grievances, and proposals ahead of major global summits like the G20 and COP28. Modi’s address at the summit emphasized that “India is not just the voice, but the bridge of the Global South.” This vision found further expression during India’s G20 presidency, where New Delhi successfully championed the inclusion of the African Union as a permanent member of the G20—a landmark decision that elevated the stature of Africa within the global governance framework.

India’s diaspora in Africa and South America further strengthens bilateral relations. Countries like South Africa, Kenya, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Suriname have large populations of Indian origin who have contributed significantly to local economies and politics. Modi’s visits include cultural and community engagements with these diasporas, reaffirming ties and building bridges that go beyond official diplomacy.

 Economic cooperation is also expanding steadily. India’s trade with Africa surpassed $98 billion in 2023, with key exports including pharmaceuticals, automobiles, and technology services. In South America, trade with Brazil alone exceeds $12 billion, with potential for significant growth in agri-business, energy, and mining sectors. By deepening these trade ties and investing in connectivity, India is also reducing its dependence on traditional markets in West and East Asia, thereby diversifying its economic base.

India's leadership role

The overarching goal of Modi’s tour is to cement India’s leadership role within the Global South, a grouping of developing countries with shared historical, economic, and political challenges. India’s outreach seeks to provide an alternative development model based on mutual respect, non-interference, and demand-driven cooperation. Through soft power, diaspora diplomacy, and development partnerships, India is positioning itself as a credible and reliable partner for nations seeking balanced and equitable growth.

In Africa, India’s developmental partnerships are built on decades of trust and shared colonial legacies. With the presence of a significant Indian diaspora in countries like South Africa, Kenya, Mauritius, and now through growing economic engagement with West and Southern African nations, India is focused on offering solutions that are transparent and locally adaptable. Initiatives such as the International Solar Alliance, Pan-African e-Network project, and lines of credit for infrastructure and capacity building have already created a strong foundation.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, India is steadily enhancing its engagement through energy cooperation, technology transfer, and cultural exchanges. Modi’s tour is expected to emphasize not just trade and investment but also human-centric development, such as healthcare, education, and women’s empowerment. The emphasis on digital public infrastructure, particularly the export of India’s successful Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and Aadhaar systems, reflects India’s commitment to inclusive digital growth.

India’s participation in the BRICS summit further reinforces its intention to build coalitions that challenge the dominance of traditional power structures. As BRICS expands its membership and influence, India aims to ensure that the grouping remains responsive to the needs of developing countries while promoting a multipolar world. Modi’s active involvement in shaping the BRICS agenda highlights India’s growing strategic clout and its desire to shape rules for emerging domains such as artificial intelligence, digital trade, and climate governance.

India’s push for greater influence in the Global South is also a response to increasing competition from China. While China’s Belt and Road Initiative has created large-scale infrastructure projects across the Global South, India is positioning itself as a more transparent and consultative partner. The emphasis is on empowering local communities, promoting capacity building, and respecting sovereignty. This alternative model of engagement is resonating with countries wary of debt traps and political conditionalities often associated with other major powers. 

PM Modi’s tour is, therefore, more than a series of diplomatic engagements; it is a declaration of India’s readiness to lead, collaborate, and contribute to shaping a just and inclusive global order. By leveraging historical ties, cultural affinity, technological strengths, and political goodwill, India is expanding its diplomatic footprint across the Global South. The strategic timing of this tour, coupled with its geographic and thematic breadth, reflects a confident India that is both rooted in its civilizational ethos and ready to assume global leadership.

As the world grapples with multiple challenges—from climate change and pandemics to economic inequality and geopolitical instability—India’s message is clear: the future of global governance must include and reflect the aspirations of the developing world. Modi’s July 2025 tour is a bold step in that direction, signalling a new phase in India’s foreign policy that combines pragmatism with purpose, and ambition with responsibility.

 (The writer is a political science graduate from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, India and a strategic affairs commentator. Views are personal. She can be contacted at anubham95@gmail.com)