India, one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, is all set to become the voice of the Global South, particularly for African nations. The Ugandan High Commissioner in India, Grace Akello, has stated that India is committed to taking the issues and concerns of the Global South to the G20. India, with its rising economy, has a unique perspective on issues ranging from climate change to global trade, and it is all set to use that perspective to advocate for the needs of developing countries. This article explores India’s emerging role as a leader in the Global South and its plans to change the discourse at the G20.
Ugandan High Commissioner Joyce Kakuramatsi Kikafunda recently expressed her approval for India’s presidency of the G20 and stated how India can be the voice of the Global South. While speaking about External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s visit to her country, Kikafunda said that it was beautiful and that India is all set to bring issues from the Global South to the G20.
According to Kikafunda, “We believe that they (India) are going to be the voice of the South. India is already going to be a superpower. So we believe they (India) know our issues and they will bring them up and they are ahead of some big countries who have forgotten how it was. But we believe India will bring our voices, our issues or problems to the G20.” Furthermore, the Ugandan envoy also mentioned that India’s presidency of the G20 is a good opportunity to bring issues from the Global South to the forefront.
During Jaishankar’s visit to the country, he held a meeting with the Ugandan President, which was deemed special as he doesn’t usually meet with ministers, but rather heads of state. The visit was considered a success, with the Ugandan envoy saying, “Jaishankar had a beautiful visit. Our President doesn’t meet other ministers, he meets heads of state, but because of the relationship between Uganda and India, he met the visiting minister. India Opened the University of Forensic Sciences in Uganda for the first time ever outside India and the first one in Africa. So we are very proud and happy about it. It was a very good visit.”
Kikafunda also spoke about the bilateral relationship between India and Uganda and that it is focused on trade and investment. She went on to say, “We don’t want just to trade, we want India to come and manufacture products in Uganda. We want the relationship to continue, also the development assistance, because we take India as our elder brother.” The envoy also participated in a women entrepreneurs conference hosted by Baroness Verma (Member of the House of Lords of the UK) on Saturday.
Overall, Kikafunda’s views expressed how India’s presidency of the G20 is a significant opportunity for the Global South, and the bilateral relationship between India and Uganda is strong and is focused on trade and investment. Furthermore, Kikafunda’s comments indicated that Uganda sees India as an elder brother and wants the relationship to continue along with development assistance.
