By Levy Masiteng
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday told G20 leaders to mount a united offensive against the global “drug-terror economy”, warning that synthetic drugs such as fentanyl were fuelling terrorism and undermining security.
Addressing the opening session of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg, Modi proposed a dedicated G20 Initiative on Countering the “drug–terror nexus,” saying it should combine financial, governance and security tools to disrupt trafficking networks and choke illicit cash flows.
Modi said drug trafficking was a “serious challenge to global security” and a major source of terrorist financing.
He called for coordinated action against “extremely dangerous substances like fentanyl,” declaring, “Let us weaken the wretched drug-terror economy!”
The anti-drug drive was part of a four-part package Modi put to G20 leaders.
Alongside the drugs proposal, he called for a G20 Global Healthcare Response Team to be created from medical experts across member states, ready for rapid deployment during pandemics and natural disasters.
“We are stronger when we work together in the face of health emergencies and natural disasters,” he said.
He also proposed a Global Traditional Knowledge Repository to document “ancient wisdom” and ways of living that support health and environmental balance.
India would share its traditional medicine and wellness heritage to help preserve and spread such practices, he said.
A fourth proposal, the G20–Africa Skills Multiplier Initiative, would use a train-the-trainer model to create one million certified trainers in Africa over the next decade, who would then help equip young people with skills in sectors from manufacturing to services.
With the G20 meeting on African soil for the first time, he said this was the “right moment” to revisit development benchmarks and focus on inclusive, sustainable growth.
“India’s civilisational values, especially the principle of Integral Humanism, offers a way forward,” he said.
Modi’s push comes as many countries grapple with rising synthetic drug use and cross-border trafficking. He told leaders the proposed G20 initiative should target drug supply chains and the money flows that sustain them.
In social media posts after his speech, Modi said he had shared “a few actionables to realise our dream of all-round growth”.
Modi arrived in South Africa on Friday for the two-day summit and said he was delighted that the G20 was meeting in Africa for the first time. He wrote that hosting the gathering on the continent sent a signal about Africa’s central role in the global economy.
During his visit, he met Indian entrepreneurs and members of the Indian community in Johannesburg, encouraging them to deepen trade and investment links with India.
He also held talks with Naspers chairman Koos Bekker and chief executive Fabricio Bloisi, discussing expansion of investment in India’s digital economy, including startups and new technology sectors.
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