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Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the G20 Summit in Johannesburg, the first ever hosted on African soil, where he presented India’s vision for six new G20-led global initiatives: a concerted global effort to dismantle the drug-terror nexus, the creation of a global healthcare rapid response team, the establishment of a traditional knowledge repository, an open satellite data partnership, a critical minerals circularity initiative, and a broader call for a fundamental rethinking of the very parameters of global development.

Speaking during the opening session devoted to inclusive and sustainable growth, Modi rooted his proposals in the philosophy of Integral Humanism, a worldview that regards the individual, society, and nature as an interconnected and integrated whole. He stressed that Africa, having been one of the greatest sufferers of conventional growth models, deserved a radically new approach to development.

In his remarks, Modi stated, “Over the past several decades, the G20 has provided direction to global finance and global economic growth. However, the parameters of growth on which the world has worked so far have left a large section of the population deprived of resources. They have also contributed to the overexploitation of nature.”

 

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He added, “Today, as Africa hosts the G20 Summit for the first time, it is imperative for us to reconsider the parameters of development.

”The final G20 Leaders’ Declaration adopted at the Johannesburg summit successfully incorporated several key priorities that India had championed during its 2023 G20 presidency in New Delhi. These included significantly more ambitious language on climate finance than had appeared in previous summit declarations, formal recognition of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), acknowledgement of the transformative potential of digital public infrastructure, endorsement of the concept of Lifestyles for Sustainable Development (LiFE), and recognition of the important role of traditional and complementary medicine in global health, a point that directly reflected India’s holistic approach.

The South African G20 presidency had structured the summit around four core priority areas: debt sustainability for low-income countries, mobilising finance for a just energy transition, strengthening disaster resilience and response, and harnessing critical minerals for inclusive growth and sustainable development.

 

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Prime Minister Modi opened his speech by extending warm congratulations to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa for successfully hosting the summit and highlighted the commendable progress achieved under the South African presidency in areas such as skilled migration, tourism, food security, artificial intelligence, the digital economy, innovation, and women’s empowerment.

He explicitly noted, “The historic initiatives undertaken at the New Delhi G20 Summit have been carried forward here,” underscoring the continuity between India’s 2023 presidency and the ongoing work in Johannesburg.

 

Six global initiatives

The Prime Minister’s first major proposal called for urgent coordinated action against the drug-terror nexus. “To overcome the challenge of drug trafficking, especially the spread of extremely dangerous substances like fentanyl, India proposes a G20 Initiative on Countering the Drug-Terror Nexus. Let us weaken the wretched drug-terror economy,” Modi said.

The initiative seeks to integrate financial, governance and security tools, addressing drug trafficking as a threat to public health, stability and security, while recognising it as “a significant channel for financing terrorism”.

 

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Modi’s second proposal centred on creating a G20 Global Healthcare Response Team comprising trained medical experts from member nations ready for rapid deployment. “Addressing health emergencies and natural disasters is also our collective responsibility,” he said, adding that the team would be prepared for rapid deployment during any global health crisis or natural disaster.

In a push for Africa’s development, Modi proposed launching a G20 Africa-Skills Multiplier Initiative to empower the continent’s workforce transformation. “Advancing Africa’s development and empowering its young talent is in the interest of the entire world,” he said.

“This initiative can operate under a ‘train-the-trainers’ model across various sectors. All G20 partners can finance and support this effort. Our collective goal will be to prepare one million certified trainers in Africa over the next decade. These trainers will, in turn, help equip millions of young people with skills,” Modi explained, emphasising the initiative’s “powerful multiplier effect”.

“India has always stood in solidarity with Africa. I am proud of the fact that it was during India’s G20 Presidency that the African Union became a permanent G20 member,” he added.

 

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Modi’s fourth proposal focused on establishing a Global Traditional Knowledge Repository under the G20 framework. Linking this to his broader philosophical vision, he noted that communities worldwide have preserved “traditional and eco-balanced ways of life” that embody sustainability, cultural wisdom, social cohesion and reverence for nature.

“India proposes the creation of a Global Traditional Knowledge Repository under the G20 framework. India’s own Indian Knowledge Systems initiative can serve as its foundation. This global platform will help transmit the collective wisdom of humanity to future generations,” he said.

Expanding on the theme of technology for development, Modi announced a G20 Open Satellite Data Partnership. Through this programme, satellite data from G20 space agencies would be made available to developing countries for agriculture, fisheries, disaster management and other activities.

Finally, the Prime Minister called for the creation of a G20 Critical Minerals Circularity Initiative. This initiative would foster recycling, urban mining, second-life battery projects and innovation, helping to strengthen supply chain security and develop cleaner pathways of development.

Concluding his address, Modi emphasised the need to extend India-Africa solidarity beyond the G20 framework. “India-Africa solidarity has always been strong. During the New Delhi Summit, the African Union becoming a permanent member of this group was a significant initiative. It is now essential that the spirit of this partnership extends beyond the G20,” he said.

“We must work together to ensure that the voice of the Global South is heard and strengthened across all global institutions,” Modi added, signalling India’s commitment to reforming global governance structures more broadly.

 

Also Read: At G20, PM Modi seeks global front against drug-terror nexus