Modi leaves on four-nation African tour

Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for a five-day tour of Africa early Thursday that will take him to Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Kenya.

"The Prime Minister emplanes for a vital four-nation Africa tour. The first nation he will visit is Mozambique," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted.

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

Modi will arrive in Maputo, Mozambique's capital, on Thursday morning.

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

After concluding his engagements in Mozambique, he will leave for South Africa on Thursday evening.

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

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.

Ahead of his departure, the Prime Minister tweeted on Wednesday that his visit was aimed at enhancing India-Africa ties.

--IANS

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