Because of the Ebola crisis, New Delhi has started a broad-based dialogue with African countries, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi engaging multiple African leaders on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit that concluded on Sunday (September 12, 2026), months after postponing the India-Africa Forum Summit.
Mr. They reviewed progress across key sectors, including economic cooperation, defence and security partnership, and capacity building.” Modi hosted Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali on Saturday (September 12, 2026), during which the two leaders discussed regional and global developments, and he met South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday.
At the meeting between the Prime Ministers of India and Ethiopia, the External Affairs Ministry said, “The two leaders held discussions aimed at further strengthening the bilateral Strategic Partnership.
Modi met President Ramaphosa of South Africa on Sunday (September 13, 2026) and reviewed the state of bilateral relations between their two countries. The declaration also referred to decolonisation and Asian-African solidarity as displayed in the Bandung conference of 1955. That requires research, computing capacity, skills and institutions able to lead that work. Mr. It also particularly mentioned the South Africa-initiated legal process at the International Court of Justice against Israel for its military campaign in the Gaza Strip. In his discussion with Mr. Ramaphosa, Mr. India had also invited the President of Burundi, Evariste Ndayishimiye, in his capacity as the Chairperson of the African Union, to the BRICS Summit, and Mr. President Ndayishimiye acknowledged India’s assistance to African health authorities in dealing with the Ebola crisis, and Prime Minister Modi appreciated Africa’s successful handling of the outbreak.
In his remarks at the BRICS Summit, the Ethiopian Prime Minister had pitched his country as a frontrunner in digital public infrastructure in Africa and urged the world to prepare to deal with “disruptions”. He said, “Africa should help build the next generation of AI. The New Delhi Declaration issued on Saturday (September 12, 2026) had taken note of the racial injustice that Africans have suffered historically, and also of the Brazilian-South African plan to start an “international panel on inequality”. Acknowledging South Africa’s leading role in holding Israel accountable, the New Delhi Declaration said the proceedings “reaffirmed Israel’s legal obligation to ensure the provision of humanitarian aid in Gaza. Modi reviewed the “multi-faceted strategic partnership” between India and Africa. “The two leaders exchanged views on a range of global issues of mutual interest and agreed to maintain close coordination in multilateral fora,” said the External Affairs Ministry in a statement. Modi hosted him for talks on Sunday (September 13, 2026) and discussed the possibility of hosting the India-Africa Forum Summit “early”. A statement issued by the External Affairs Ministry said the two sides acknowledged “India-African Union partnership is a key pillar of cooperation within the Global South”. The Ministry said that “agricultural modernisation, healthcare and capacity-building initiatives” were discussed during the meeting.
