Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has landed in Ethiopia, beginning a two-day stay and becoming the first leader from his country to visit Africa’s second most populous nation in 15 years.
It is a visit being touted as a bid by India to cultivate deeper ties with countries in Africa as the world’s major economies forge improved relations with the mineral-rich continent.
The plane carrying PM Modi landed at Addis Ababa’s International airport on Tuesday and he was welcomed by his Ethiopian counterpart Abiy Ahmed who also hosted a welcoming ceremony at the national palace late on.
“Modi’s presence underscores the growing ties between our two countries, and I look forward to meaningful engagements that will further deepen our cooperation across shared priorities,” Ahmed said in a social media post.
According to the PM AHmad, there was a tête-à-tête meeting between him and Modi, and subsequently a bilateral meeting with their respective delegations.
The Indian envoy to Ethiopia, Anil Kumar Rai said the two leaders would discuss boosting bilateral cooperation focusing on investments, agriculture, mining, digital public infrastructure, and cyber security among others.
“India and Ethiopia are two civilised countries with a long-standing, deep, and friendly relationship. This visit has a big and rich agenda that will strengthen cooperation at bilateral level,” Rai said.
He said the visit will also cover education, health, defense, and regional and international issues, adding that agriculture, a key priority as it supports 80 percent of Ethiopian livelihoods, will be central to the talks.
He said India plans to launch several projects in Ethiopia under the International Solar Alliance, including solar rooftops, regional solar connectivity, off-grid solutions, and solar pumps, all aimed at expanding energy access and supporting anti-poverty initiatives.
The two leaders met on the margins of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg in 2023, where they discussed strengthening cooperation in trade, investment, defense, information technology, agriculture, youth skills development and people-to-people exchanges.
The two PMs also presided over the exchange of key bilateral agreements namely a Mutual Administrative Assistance in Customs Matters, a Memorandum of Understanding on the Establishment of a Data Centre within Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and an MoU on United Nations Peacekeeping Cooperation, reinforcing the two countries’ joint commitment to international peace and security.
Modi is expected to address a joint session of the House of People’s Representatives and the House of Federation on Wednesday.
MG/as/APA