Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday left for a three-day visit to South Africa to attend the G20 Summit in Johannesburg, the first time the gathering is being held on the African continent. He is expected to present India’s perspective across key sessions and meet several world leaders on the sidelines.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seen here addressing an event in New Delhi, has left for South Africa to attend the G20 Summit in Johannesburg, the first time the meeting is being held on the African continent. (File Photo: DPR PMO/ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for South Africa on Friday for a three-day visit to participate in the G20 Summit in Johannesburg. This is the first time the annual gathering of world leaders is being held on African soil.
PM Modi is travelling at the invitation of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa for the summit scheduled from November 21 to 23.
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In his departure statement, Modi said he would present India’s views “in line with our vision of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ and ‘One earth, One Family and One Future’.”
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He noted that the summit carries added importance as Africa hosts it for the first time. “This will be a particularly special Summit given that it would be the first G20 Summit being held in Africa,” he said, recalling that the African Union joined the G20 during India’s presidency in 2023.
Also Read: PM Modi to raise terrorism, economic issues at G20 Summit in S Africa
The PM also shared a message on X:
“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.”
He added that he looked forward to participating in the sixth IBSA Summit, which will take place on the sidelines.
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. https://t.co/Sn4NFUOzXB
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 21, 2025
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the Prime Minister will speak in all three official sessions.
The segments include:
A senior MEA official said he would not “prejudge” the contents of the leaders’ declaration, but stressed that concerns of India and the Global South would be “highlighted by our leadership”. This will be the fourth straight G20 summit hosted in the Global South, following Indonesia, India and Brazil.
PM Modi is expected to hold several bilateral meetings with leaders attending the summit. He has also expressed interest in engaging with the Indian diaspora in South Africa, which he described as “one of the largest outside India”.
The G20 accounts for 85 per cent of global GDP, 75 per cent of international trade and nearly two-thirds of the world’s population.
Its members include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkiye, the UK, the US, the European Union, and the African Union.
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