Wednesday 26 / November / 2025
Cape Town: The 2025 G20 Summit held in Johannesburg was a historic moment in global economic diplomacy. For the first time, Africa hosted the world’s most influential economic forum, symbolising a shift toward greater diversity, equity, and representation in global governance. South Africa’s presidency carried forward the developmental priorities championed by India, Indonesia, and Brazil, three consecutive Global South presidencies that altered the G20’s agenda in favour of inclusivity, climate justice, and technology-driven development.
The Johannesburg Summit was held in the backdrop of heightened geopolitical tensions and a fractured multilateral environment. Despite the absence of the United States from the negotiations and Argentina’s exit from the drafting process, the G20 successfully adopted a comprehensive Leaders’ Declaration.
President Cyril Ramaphosa emphasised that the Declaration reflected a renewed commitment to multilateral cooperation, climate responsibility, and strengthening the voice of developing nations.
India played a particularly active and influential role. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi appreciated South Africa’s hosting efforts and pointed out that this first-ever G20 Summit in Africa carried profound symbolic meaning. India continued to advance the initiatives launched during its own 2023 presidency, particularly in areas such as digital public infrastructure, skilled migration, food security, artificial intelligence governance, and disaster resilience. India also made several forward-looking proposals, including a G20 Global Healthcare Response Team, a Critical Minerals Circularity Initiative, and a Global Traditional Knowledge Repository.
Johannesburg 2025 therefore stood as a landmark summit, one that blended historical symbolism with practical commitments and highlighted the rising leadership of emerging economies in shaping global development.
India’s Growing Influence in the G20
India’s stature in the G20 has grown substantially over the past decade, underpinned by rapid economic growth, expanding global partnerships, and its reputation as a consensus-building power. India has averaged more than 7% growth over the last four financial years, and is expected to sustain over 6.5% growth over the next five years, making it the fastest-growing major economy in the G20. This performance has elevated India as the growth anchor of the grouping at a time when several advanced economies face prolonged stagnation.
Trade and investment further illustrate India’s centrality in the G20 economic landscape. The G20 as a bloc account for over 60% of India’s exports and more than half of its imports, reflecting deep commercial integration with major economies. India’s emergence as a global hub for digital innovation, renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, and services has strengthened its competitiveness, making it both a large market and a major supplier in global value chains.
India champions cooperation rooted in trust, openness, and equity. During the 2023 presidency, India institutionalised several initiatives that placed the Global South at the heart of G20 priorities, and these initiatives continued to guide discussions in 2025. These include digital public infrastructure frameworks, reform of multilateral development banks, green development, mobility of skilled labour, and climate financing.
India’s message at the 2025 Summit was clear and principled: growth must be sustainable, trade must be trusted, finance must be fair, and progress must ensure prosperity for all. This philosophical clarity, combined with economic strength, has firmly positioned India as a rising, respected, and influential power in the G20.
India Supports Africa’s G20 Breakthrough
The Johannesburg Summit held deep significance not only for Africa but also for India. For years, India has been one of the strongest advocates for enhanced African participation in global decision-making.
This commitment culminated in 2023 when India successfully championed the African Union’s inclusion as a permanent member of the G20. Hosting the 2025 Summit in Africa therefore represented a natural progression of this expanding South–South solidarity. India–South Africa relations are even more deeply rooted, shaped by centuries of civilisational connection and shared anti-colonial struggles.
At the 2025 Summit, PM Modi and President Ramaphosa reviewed cooperation in trade, critical minerals, technology, digital infrastructure, innovation, mining, and youth exchange. South Africa appreciated India’s support for its G20 presidency and reaffirmed its backing for India’s upcoming BRICS Chairship in 2026.
The Game-Changing Outcomes of G20 2025
The Johannesburg Summit delivered several major outcomes that advanced global economic governance despite difficult geopolitical circumstances. One of the most notable achievements was the adoption of the G20 Leaders’ Declaration without the participation of the United States. The document reaffirmed commitments to address the climate crisis, enhance multilateral cooperation, and strengthen the representation of developing economies across global financial institutions. President Ramaphosa emphasised that the Declaration demonstrated that shared goals can prevail over political differences.
India contributed significantly to shaping the outcome documents. Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed a G20 Critical Minerals Circularity Initiative, an innovative platform focused on recycling, urban mining, and second-life battery technologies to ensure supply-chain resilience. India also introduced the G20 Open Satellite Data Partnership, which would allow developing nations to access space-based information for agriculture, disaster management, and climate resilience.
Another major Indian initiative was the G20 Global Healthcare Response Team, intended to provide rapid assistance during pandemics or natural disasters. India also proposed the G20 Initiative on Countering the Drug–Terror Nexus, highlighting the growing threat posed by synthetic narcotics like fentanyl, which support organised crime and terrorism networks.
The Africa-focused G20–Africa Skills Multiplier Initiative was another landmark outcome. It aims to train one million certified trainers across Africa over the next decade, who will subsequently skill millions of young people. This initiative reflects India’s longstanding commitment to capacity-building in Africa.
Furthermore, the Declaration endorsed the ongoing work on global tax transparency, including frameworks for immovable property taxation, while calling for enhanced climate financing and faster energy transitions. Collectively, the outcomes reflected a balanced blend of developmental priorities, technological forward-thinking, and commitments to sustainability.
India’s Powerful Call for a Fairer Global Economic Order
India’s interventions throughout the Summit delivered several strong and coherent messages rooted in fairness, transparency, and human-centric progress. Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised that global development models must integrate nature, society, and individual well-being, invoking the Indian philosophical concept of Integral Humanism. He argued that technological advancement must not result in concentration of resources or opportunities in a few hands, and insisted on broad-based, inclusive access to innovation.
A major thrust of India focused on artificial intelligence. PM Narendra Modi called for a Global Compact on AI, rooted in transparency, human oversight, safety-by-design, and strict prohibitions on the misuse of AI for deepfakes, crime, and terrorism. India’s approach, which centres around equitable access, population-scale skilling, and responsible deployment, received broad support from several G20 members.
India also stressed that reforming global governance institutions, particularly the UN Security Council, is no longer optional but necessary. The Prime Minister argued at the IBSA meeting that the absence of India, Brazil, and South Africa as permanent UNSC members reflects the outdated architecture of the post-war global order.
India reinforced its belief that nations cannot be viewed solely as markets but must be treated as long-term partners. It linked global security to the interconnected issues of food security, healthcare, sustainable agriculture, disaster preparedness, and climate resilience. India’s final message to the world emphasised the need for sustainable development, trusted trade, fair finance, and prosperity that includes the last person, reaffirming its role as a moral and intellectual leader in the G20.
India’s Bilateral Breakthroughs at Johannesburg
The Johannesburg Summit saw an active phase of Indian diplomacy with multiple high-level bilateral interactions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney resulted in a decision to commence negotiations on a high-ambition Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) aimed at doubling bilateral trade to USD 50 billion by 2030. The leaders welcomed the Australia–Canada–India Technology and Innovation (ACITI) Partnership, which focuses on cooperation in critical technologies, nuclear energy, artificial intelligence, and resilient supply chains.
In his meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, both leaders reaffirmed the Special Strategic and Global Partnership and reviewed progress across defence, infrastructure, semiconductors, technology, and people-to-people ties. Japan expressed strong support for India’s AI Impact Summit scheduled for 2026.
The meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni led to the adoption of the India–Italy Joint Initiative to Counter Financing of Terrorism, enhancing cooperation in defence, space, industry, and multilateral fora. Italy reiterated its support for the proposed India–EU Free Trade Agreement and welcomed expanded business-to-business engagement.
India’s bilateral meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa reaffirmed the deepening India–South Africa relationship. Both leaders reviewed progress in mining, critical minerals, digital public infrastructure, and youth exchanges. They agreed to amplify the voice of the Global South and pursue a more inclusive global governance architecture.
These bilateral engagements reflected India’s growing diplomatic profile and its ability to shape strategic directions through cooperative partnerships rooted in technology, security, development, and shared economic growth.
India’s Futuristic Trajectory as a Rising Power in the G20
India’s influence within the G20 is expected to strengthen further in the coming years due to sustained economic growth, technological leadership, and its reputation as a principled voice for the developing world. India’s founding emphasis on human-centric development has allowed it to promote a vision of globalisation that prioritises equity, transparency, and shared prosperity. Its digital public infrastructure model, built on platforms such as UPI, Aadhaar, and population-scale health and education systems, offers a global exemplar of inclusive digital transformation.
India is also emerging as a central force in shaping global rules for artificial intelligence, critical minerals, supply-chain diversification, climate action, and open-source digital ecosystems. Its leadership in the ACITI (the Australia-Canada-India Technology and Innovation) Partnership and the upcoming AI Impact Summit 2026 IN New Delhi positions it at the forefront of global technological governance.
Looking ahead, India’s rise in the G20 will be characterised by collaborative leadership, technological innovation, and moral clarity. By advocating fairness in trade, sustainability in development, and responsibility in technology use, India is shaping the future of global governance trajectory.
