Windhoek: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred Namibia’s highest civilian award, the Order of the Most Ancient Welwitschia Mirabilis, during his landmark one-day State Visit on July 9—taking his total tally of global honours to 27.

Instituted in 1995 and named after the ancient desert plant unique to Namibia, the honour stands for resilience and endurance—qualities President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said reflected PM Modi’s leadership. “I thank you and the Namibian government... it is a matter of great pride to 140 crore Indians,” PM Modi said during delegation-level talks.

The accolade marks the fourth global honour during the Prime Minister’s ongoing five-nation tour, and the second in 24 hours. On Tuesday night (IST), Brazil presented him with the Grand Collar of the National Order of the Southern Cross, the country’s highest honour.

Just days earlier, PM Modi became the first foreign leader to receive The Order of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago—recognising his humanitarian outreach during the pandemic and historic bonds with the diaspora.

On July 2, Ghana honoured him with the Officer of the Order of the Star of Ghana for “influential global leadership,” while in June, Cyprus conferred the Grand Cross of the Order of Makarios III.

Back in April and March, he was also awarded the highest civilian honours of Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka Mitra Vibhushana) and Mauritius (Grand Commander of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean), respectively. Analysts describe this growing list as a “rare global consensus” on India’s ascent and Modi’s strategic stewardship.