New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a three-nation tour starting on Saturday, November 16, with Nigeria, Brazil, and Guyana on his itinerary. He will be attending the 2024 G20 Summit in Brazil, followed by a trip to Guyana. The weeklong trip will begin with Nigeria, a country PM Modi will be visiting for the first time.
The Nigeria trip, at the invitation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is significant as this is the first time in 17 years that an Indian PM will be on a state visit to the West African nation. The last such visit was in October 2007, by then PM Manmohan Singh, when the two nations established a strategic partnership. President Tinubu was in India to attend the G20 Summit in September 2023, at the invitation of PM Modi, as a guest country, which paved the way for Nigeria to participate in the 2024 G20 Summit in Brazil, as an invitee country again.
Modi will be in Nigeria on November 16-17, and Indian officials have said the visit underscores India’s “commitment to fostering strategic partnerships with African nations and reaffirms the deep-rooted and growing relations between India and Nigeria”.
There is considerable excitement among the Indian diaspora in Nigeria, who believe Modi’s visit will further enhance the ties for “more cooperation and growth”.
Since establishing a strategic partnership in 2007, India and Nigeria have built strong ties across various sectors, including energy, defence, and trade. Modi’s visit aims to deepen this relationship, with planned discussions with President Tinubu expected to cover trade expansion, technological collaboration, and economic development.
India has a sizeable diaspora in Nigeria who view Modi’s visit as a reaffirmation of their role as a bridge between the two countries.
Speaking to ABP News, Harsh Vardhan Mehta, Managing Director of Rean Industries Nig. Ltd., noted the historical ties between India and Nigeria, and said PM Modi’s visit will take “this cooperation to another level”.
“Two nations, two cultures, two different geographies, but there is a lot in common. One is the most populous country on the planet and the other is the most populous Black country. One is the world’s fifth largest economy, the other is one of the fastest growing in Africa. India and Nigeria share a lot of similarities despite diverse cultures, languages, religions and ethnicities.”
Mehta added: “Cooperation between our two nations goes back to days before Nigeria got independence, and when India had a diplomatic mission here. Indian businesses were and are thriving, and helping Nigeria develop its economy. The visit of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will take this cooperation to another level.”
Talking about his expectations from the visit, he said: “With a clear thought process and growth mindset, our two countries can herald a new era where both can complement each other in their aim to achieve growth for their citizens. The Indians here welcome Shri Narendra Modi to our adopted country where we have made a home away from home, and wish that this visit will be a starting point for many more cooperation and growth.”
Mahesh Kumar Birla, Finance Director at GMT Nigeria Limited, emphasised that this visit is an opportunity to strengthen India’s presence in strategic sectors such as energy and defence, where Delhi has made significant investments.
“It’s a matter of pride for me that PM Modi is playing a vital role in strengthening the bilateral relationship between the two countries. Definitely, this will enhance the strategic partnership and [help] explore opportunities in such a challenging time,” he said, adding that more than 200 Indian companies have invested over $27 billion in key sectors such as energy and defence in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, Ankush Khandelia, the Commercial Head of Celebr8 Lyfe Pvt Ltd, said a visit by PM Modi was long awaited. “It (the visit) will open avenues of growth for the 1.6 billion combined population of both the countries, which constitute 20% of the world’s population. We expect growing ties and partnerships in various fields such as technology, medicines, and defence, among others, and hope both countries will take forward the key discussions they had during the last G20 Summit.”
Mahesh Falod, Treasury Director at GMT Nigeria Limited, highlighted the impact Modi’s visit could have on trade, security, and development.
“Modi ji’s visit will help build stronger ties between India and Nigeria, two of the world’s largest emerging economies. This could lead to increased cooperation in trade, security, and development of both countries. Further, Modi’s outreach to the Indian diaspora strengthens the social and political standing of the Indian community abroad. We expect more engagement from the Indian government in supporting the interests of Indians living in Nigeria.”
Sunil Mohta, CFO of Kewalram Group, who has been living in Nigeria for 22 years now, echoed similar feelings as he also highlighted the significance of India’s continued involvement in global discussions.
From Nigeria, PM Modi will go to Brazil, where he will attend the G20 Summit on November 18-19. India, as the host of the last summit, is part of the G20 Troika along with Brazil and South Africa, which will host the next. The G20 Troika comprises the previous, current and next G20 presidencies, and the three countries help each other in preparing for the summit.
The 19th G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro will be a significant gathering of world leaders focused on key global challenges. This visit marks Modi’s third official trip to Brazil, having previously attended BRICS summits there in 2014 and 2019. This year’s G20 Summit is particularly historic as it welcomes the African Union as a new member, a development initiated at last year’s G20 Summit in New Delhi.
The Brazilian G20 Presidency, led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, centres on the theme, ‘Building a Just World and a Sustainable Planet’, and aims to address crucial areas such as social inclusion, hunger and poverty reduction, energy transitions, and reforms of global governance institutions.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said at a media briefing Tuesday that India’s key priorities from the New Delhi Summit — including sustainable development, multilateral reform, and women-led development — align closely with Brazil’s focus this year.
“...The ambitious language that was reflected in the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration has provided the basis for many of the G20 outcome documents that have been adopted this year. Some of our flagship priorities such as digital public infrastructure, Mission LiFE, women-led development, etc have all found resonance as well as reflection in the outcome documents of the Brazilian Presidency," he said.
Modi’s next stop will be Guyana. His trip to that country, at the invitation of President Mohamed Irfaan Ali, will be the first by an Indian PM since Indira Gandhi’s 1968 visit. Modi will address the Guyanese Parliament, and also attend the Second CARICOM-India Summit during the visit on November 20-21.
