Indian PM Meets South African President at G20 Johannesburg, Strengthens Strategic Partnership
Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi met South African President H.E. Cyril Ramaphosa in Johannesburg on the sidelines of the G20 Summit. The Prime Minister expressed gratitude for South Africa’s warm hospitality and congratulated President Ramaphosa on the smooth and successful conduct of the Summit. He also appreciated South Africa’s efforts to advance and expand upon the outcomes of the New Delhi G20 Summit.
The two leaders recalled the deep historical bonds between India and South Africa and reviewed the strong progress across key areas of bilateral cooperation, including trade and investment, food security, skill development, mining, youth exchanges, and vibrant people-to-people relations. They also discussed expanding collaboration in emerging sectors such as Artificial Intelligence, Digital Public Infrastructure, and critical minerals. Both leaders welcomed the growing footprint of Indian companies in South Africa and agreed to encourage greater mutual investments, especially in infrastructure, technology, innovation, mining, and start-up ecosystems.
Prime Minister Modi thanked President Ramaphosa for the successful relocation of South African cheetahs to India and invited him to join the International Big Cat Alliance led by India.
Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to championing the voice of the Global South. Prime Minister Modi appreciated South Africa’s initiative in convening the IBSA leaders’ meeting. President Ramaphosa assured full support to India’s upcoming BRICS Chairship in 2026.
During the G20 Summit’s third session, themed “A Fair and Just Future for All – Critical Minerals; Decent Work; Artificial Intelligence,” Prime Minister Modi called for a transformative approach to promoting critical technologies. He stressed that such innovations must be human-centric, global in scope, and built on open-source principles. He highlighted how India’s technology ecosystem—across space applications, digital payments, and AI—reflects this inclusive vision.
Had an excellent meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa during the G20 Summit in Johannesburg. We reviewed the full range of the India-South Africa partnership, especially in boosting linkages of commerce, culture, investment and diversifying cooperation in technology, skilling,… pic.twitter.com/WuLLsh3yVf
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 23, 2025
Discussing Artificial Intelligence, Prime Minister Modi outlined India’s strategy focusing on equitable access, mass-level skilling, and responsible use. He noted that under the India-AI Mission, the country is developing accessible high-performance computing to ensure AI benefits reach all citizens. Calling for AI to serve as a global public good, he proposed a global compact grounded in transparency, human oversight, safety-by-design, and prevention of misuse. He emphasized that AI should enhance human capabilities, but final decisions must always rest with people. Prime Minister Modi also announced that India will host the AI Impact Summit in February 2026, under the theme “Sarvajanam Hitaya, Sarvajanam Sukhaya” (Welfare for all, Happiness for all), and invited all G20 nations to participate.
Highlighting the rapid transformation of the global workforce in the age of AI, Prime Minister Modi urged a shift from focusing on “jobs of today” to building “capabilities of tomorrow”. He recalled the progress on talent mobility achieved at the New Delhi G20 Summit and proposed that the G20 develop a Global Framework for Talent Mobility in the coming years.
The Prime Minister concluded with India’s commitment to global progress—championing sustainable development, trusted trade, fair finance, and shared prosperity for all.
