THE CONTEXT: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2-9 July 2025 circuit—Ghana, Trinidad & Tobago, Argentina, Brazil (BRICS-17) and Namibia—signals a calibrated shift from “Look West/Act East” to an overt “Global-South First” outreach, knitting together health security, digital public goods, critical-mineral partnerships and diaspora soft power.
THE BACKGROUND: Historically, all five partners share a post-colonial legacy and Non-Aligned ethos. India’s founding role in BRICS (2009) and IBSA (2003) embedded a South-South solidarity plank, which the present tour operationalises through tangible deliverables—MoUs, concessional lines of credit and technology transfers.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK:
-
- Development Diplomacy: Uses aid, capacity-building and technology to create mutual gain.
- Platform Statecraft: Exports digital public infrastructure (DPI) such as the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) to amplify soft power.
- Critical-Mineral Security: Hedges supply risks through upstream equity stakes in partner countries.
- Diaspora Diplomacy: Leverages a 35 million overseas Indian community as a transnational network.
| STOP | WHAT WAS AGREED | WHY IT MATTERS (STRATEGIC INTENT) | HOW IMPLEMENTED |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ghana | Comprehensive Partnership; four MoUs incl. vaccine-hub roadmap and standards cooperation | Create a “West-Africa Vaccine Hub”, align with Ghana’s Feed Ghana plan, secure gold-bauxite-graphite access | Joint Working Groups, EXIM Bank LoC of US$250 mn, private pharma consortia |
| Trinidad & Tobago | Six MoUs, notably adoption of Indian Pharmacopoeia; Port-of-Spain to pilot UPI rail; diaspora outreach (OCI up to 6th generation) | Opens CARICOM gateway for India-Stack exports; deepens cultural links with 42 % Indo-Trinidadians | NPCI International sandbox; ICCR Hindi-chair revival; Quick-Impact Projects grant |
| Argentina | Roadmap on lithium, copper and shale gas; KABIL gets five blocks in Salta & Catamarca; defence MRO collaboration | Diversifies critical-mineral supply chains, underpins EV-30 % by 2030 pledge | Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) with sovereign guarantee; joint geological surveys |
| Brazil (BRICS-17, Rio) | Rio Declaration backs UNSC reform, AI-ethics code, SDG Accelerator Fund; Indonesia admitted | Reinforces India’s multilateral reform agenda; positions BRICS as “voice of the Global South” | New Development Bank (NDB) climate window; BRICS AI Taskforce |
| Namibia | MoU to deploy UPI-like instant payments; talks on diamonds, uranium, cobalt; review of Cheetah project | Anchors Atlantic-Indian Ocean minerals loop; showcases DPI diplomacy in Africa | NPCI-Bank of Namibia partnership; joint wildlife-tech task force |
DETAILS & SPECIFICATIONS:
-
- Pharma & Vaccines: India supplies 60 % of global vaccine doses and 20 % of world generic medicines; proposal is to transfer fill-finish lines and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) protocols to Accra.
- Digital Stack: UPI handles 12 billion monthly transactions at sub-US$0.01 cost; NPCI plans 20 overseas corridors by FY 2029.
- Critical Minerals: NITI Aayog projects 43 kt lithium and 5 kt cobalt annual demand by 2030 for India’s EV push.
INDIAN POLICY FRAMEWORK & INITIATIVES:
-
- Indian Development and Economic Assistance Scheme (IDEAS): Provides concessional LoCs; over US$31 bn committed till 2024.
- KABIL (Khanij Bidesh India Ltd.): Spearheads overseas critical-mineral acquisitions.
- Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Export Strategy 2025-30: Mandates NPCI International to target 20 countries.
- Coalition for Disaster-Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and International Solar Alliance (ISA) – plurilateral platforms offered to partner states.
THE ISSUES:
| Dimension | Specific Pain-Points |
|---|---|
| Delivery Deficit | Historical slippage in LoC projects (e.g., Cote d’Ivoire sugar plant) erodes credibility. |
| Resource Nationalism | Local pushback in Latin America against environmentally risky lithium mining threatens concessions. |
| Financing Constraints | Rising fiscal pressure limits India’s capacity for large grants; private investors demand de-risking. |
| Regulatory Mismatch | Divergent pharma standards and data-protection laws complicate vaccine-hub and UPI rollouts. |
| Geopolitical Competition | China’s Belt and Road projects in Namibia (Walvis Bay) and Argentina create zero-sum perceptions. |
| ESG & Social Licence | Activist scrutiny over mining and wildlife translocation (Cheetah project) could stall initiatives. |
THE WAY FORWARD:
-
- Triangular Development Cooperation: Co-finance Ghana’s vaccine hub with the European Union Global Gateway to share risks and technology.
- Critical-Minerals SPV: Establish a US$1 billion India-Latin America facility backed by sovereign guarantee and ESG safeguards for lithium and copper projects.
- UPI Global Sandbox Fund: Offer concessional credit to partner central banks for DPI deployment, bundled with cyber-security and capacity-building modules.
- Diaspora Infrastructure Bonds: Issue “Global South Infra Bonds” targeting Persons of Indian Origin, earmarked for resilient-infrastructure projects under CDRI.
- Delivery Dashboard: MEA should publish quarterly Key Performance Indicators on MoU implementation, enhancing transparency and mid-course correction.
- Green-Mining Protocols: Adopt and export Indian-developed blockchain traceability for minerals to pre-empt resource-nationalism backlash.
- Integrated Africa-LatAm Desk: Merge existing economic wings in MEA and Commerce Ministry to ensure coherent strategy across two continents.
- Wildlife-Tech Synergy: Pair cheetah conservation with satellite-based anti-poaching systems, demonstrating high-tech conservation diplomacy.
- Joint Standards Task-Force: Fast-track mutual recognition of pharma standards via Indian Pharmacopoeia & WHO PQ alignment to enable swift market entry.
- Horizon-Scanning Cell: Create a multidisciplinary unit in the National Security Council Secretariat to monitor geopolitical competition in emerging theatres.
THE CONCLUSION:
The five-nation tour operationalises the mantra “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” by converting India’s domestic developmental successes into global public goods and forging resilient supply chains. If buttressed by meticulous delivery and inclusive financing, it can anchor India’s leadership as an indispensable development partner and architect of a more equitable world order.
UPSC PAST YEAR QUESTION:
Q. If the last few decades were of Asia’s growth story, the next few are expected to be of Africa’s.” In the light of this statement, examine India’s influence in Africa in recent years. 2021
MAINS PRACTICE QUESTION:
Q. Critically analyse how digital public goods and critical-mineral partnerships redefining India’s engagement with the Global South are. Suggest measures to overcome implementation challenges.
SOURCE:
Spread the Word