Global South’s voice key to contemporary world’s progress: PM Modi tells Ghana’s Parliament

Progress in the contemporary world will not be possible without giving a voice to the Global South, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday (3 July, 2025), addressing a joint session of Ghana’s Parliament in its capital, Accra.

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Mr. Modi quoted Ghana’s founding father Kwame Nkrumah, who said that Africa and India are connected by “intrinsic” forces, in a speech outlining the widespread changes sweeping the world.

“The world order created after World War II is changing fast. The revolution in technology, the rise of the Global South, and the shifting demographics are contributing to its pace and scale. Challenges, such as colonial rule, that humanity has faced in earlier centuries still persist in different forms,” Mr. Modi said, hours after he was conferred with the Companion of the Order of the Star of Ghana, that nation’s highest state honour.

The Prime Minister described the honour as the “symbol of enduring friendship” between India and Ghana, which has been a priority of India’s ties with Africa since the early days of decolonisation in the 1950s.

Global governance reforms

“Progress cannot come without giving voice to the Global South,” he emphasised, listing “climate change, pandemics, terrorism, and cyber security” as the “new and complex crises” that are posing fresh challenges to the world. “The changing circumstances demand credible and effective reforms in global governance,” the Prime Minister said, highlighting the inclusion of the African Union into the G-20.

“We put emphasis on Africa’s rightful place at the global high table. We are proud that the African Union became a permanent member of the G-20 during our Presidency,” Mr. Modi said.

Uniting forces

Quoting Dr. Nkrumah, Mr. Modi said, “The forces that unite us are intrinsic and greater than the superimposed influences that keep us apart.” India is a “pillar of strength in the world” that will stand “shoulder to shoulder” with Ghana as it pursues its developmental goals, he vowed.

This is the first speech by an Indian Prime Minister in Ghana’s Parliament, with the special meeting being convened by the Speaker of the Ghanaian Parliament Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, who had visited India in 2023. Mr. Modi appreciated Ghana’s parliamentary system and expressed satisfaction over the formation of the Ghana-India Parliamentary Friendship Society.