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India inches closer to sealing defence deal with Ethiopia

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, on August 24, 2023. (Photo: Ethiopian Prime Ministry Office/ Anadolu Agency via AFP)

By Hanifa Adan | 13 Mar 2024

This initiative aligns with India's robust efforts to enhance defence cooperation with African nations.

India and Ethiopia are in the final stages of solidifying a defence cooperation agreement that will see New Delhi provide military training and extend credit lines to reinforce Ethiopia's defence capabilities.

Ethiopian Ambassador to India Demeke Atnafu indicated on Wednesday that the agreement will likely be formalised after this year's general elections in India.

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This initiative aligns with India's robust efforts to enhance defence cooperation with African nations.

India's outreach involves the sale of air defence systems, small arms, anti-drone technology, and firing range simulators, among other initiatives.

Notably, India has extended a line of credit nearing $14 billion to 42 nations in the African Union (AU), aiming to bolster defence capabilities in addition to strengthening traditional sectors like railways, ports, and roads.

India and Ethiopia's collaboration was reaffirmed in 2023 when Prime Ministers Narendra Modi (India) and Abiy Ahmed (Ethiopia) committed to strengthening ties, including defence, during a meeting at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg.

Ethiopian Defense Minister Abraham Belay's participation in the India-Africa Defense Dialogue in October 2022 further cemented bilateral defence collaboration. During the event in Gandhinagar, Belay engaged in discussions with Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, contributing to the growing ties between the two nations.

While this is their inaugural agreement, India and Ethiopia have a longstanding history of defence cooperation dating back to the 1950s, when India played a pivotal role in establishing Ethiopia's Harar Military Academy.

The Harar project was initiated at the request of Emperor Haile Selassie after he visited India's National Defense Academy in 1956. Over the years, India has maintained its involvement, sending an Aamy training team in 2009 to the Major General Hayelom Araya Military Academy in Ethiopia.

Insiders in the defence establishment indicate that the partnership with Ethiopia will encompass various training programmes and extend credit lines to enhance capacity building.

This move mirrors India's strategic focus on bolstering defence cooperation in Africa, a trend also observed in China, which has, between 2000 and 2020, signed 27 loan deals with eight African countries.

The deals worth approximately $3.5 billion are for defence spending, according to Boston University's Global Development Center.