During his visit in July, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described Kenya as a valued partner of India while calling for expansion of Indian investments in this east African country. “Kenya is a valued friend and trusted partner of India,” Modi said in a joint press statement with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta following delegation-level talks between the two sides. “The bonds between the two countries are long-standing and rich,” he said. In Tanzania, he described the Indian community as an important link between India and this east African nation. Most early Indian migrants to your great country happened to be from my home state (of Gujarat),” Modi said in a speech at a banquet hosted in his honour by Tanzanian President John Magufuli.

On the second and concluding day of his visit to South Africa, Mr Modi lauded the diversity of the city of Durban and praised the achievements of its people of Indian origin. “One of the hallmarks of this beautiful nation is its vibrant diversity,” Mr Modi said at a civic reception hosted in his honour by the Mayor of Durban and the Indian High Commissioner at the Durban City Hall. “And, no city celebrates this diversity better than the city of Durban and the province of Kwazulu Natal,” he said. “This celebration of plurality of dialects and languages, of belief in multiplicity of faiths and of cultural traditions, is an integral part of this city’s heritage.”