Modi Holds Five African Leader Meetings at BRICS Summit — SkimNews
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- PM Narendra Modi hosted Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali on September 12, 2026, with the External Affairs Ministry saying the two leaders reviewed their bilateral Strategic Partnership across economic cooperation, defence and security, and capacity building
- Modi met South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on September 13, 2026, reviewing the multi-faceted strategic partnership after the New Delhi Declaration of September 12 acknowledged South Africa's ICJ proceedings against Israel over Gaza and reaffirmed Israel's legal obligation to provide humanitarian aid
- Modi hosted AU Chairperson and Burundi President Évariste Ndayishimiye on September 13, 2026, with both sides agreeing to explore hosting the postponed India-Africa Forum Summit "early"; Ndayishimiye acknowledged India's assistance during the Ebola outbreak
- Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed used his BRICS remarks to pitch Africa as a frontrunner in digital public infrastructure, urging the world to help Africa "build the next generation of AI" with research, computing capacity, skills, and institutions
- Modi held separate meetings with Uganda Vice President Jessica Rose Epel Alupo and Nigeria Vice President Kashim Shettima Mustapha on September 13, 2026, covering technology partnerships, trade, defence, agriculture, health, and digital cooperation, with both countries invited to BRICS as partner countries
Why it matters: By engaging five African counterparts at BRICS and floating an early India-Africa Forum Summit, New Delhi is signalling the Ebola-driven postponement won't stall its Global South agenda. African leaders brought concrete asks: Ethiopia sought AI capacity-building partnerships, while Uganda and Nigeria pushed technology and trade deals, giving Modi fresh bilateral momentum to convert into the Forum Summit.
Ask SkimNews
