Narendra Modi in Africa: Why Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Kenya matter to India

On 7 July Prime Minister Narendra Modi set sail for his five-day Africa tour to Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Kenya.

This is Modi's first official visit to continental Africa. He had earlier visited the island nations of Mauritius and Seychelles.

Modi chose these four sub-Saharan African countries, for India shares an ancient and a relatively modern bond with them. All these nations also have an Indian diaspora residing there. Let's take a look at some of the key aspects of the bilateral ties between India and these African nations.

This is the first prime ministerial visit from India to the southeast African nation in 36 years since the visit of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1982.

On July 7th, Modi began his 5-day Africa visit. He had bilateral discussions with Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi on the first leg of his journey.

His engagements in South Africa will span across Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban and Pietermaritzburg on Friday and Saturday.

On the second day of his visit, Modi interacted with South African President Jacob Zuma and the Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, stating that India’s “ties are historical and deep-rooted” with South Africa.

Following this, he will leave for Dodoma, Tanzania's capital, from Durban on Saturday evening.

After completing his engagements in Dodoma, Modi will leave for Nairobi, Kenya, on Sunday evening.

On July 11, Prime Minister Modi will be in Kenya to have bilateral talks with President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The prime minister aims at enhancing India - Africa ties.