Indian Navy to hold maiden exercise with 10 African nations in April

In another first, Navy to deploy ship with joint crew from India and nine other nations

The Indian Navy will deepen engagement with several East African navies in April through the maiden edition of a multilateral maritime exercise and the deployment of a Navy ship jointly crewed by personnel from India and nine other countries. Both efforts aim to strengthen maritime security and reinforce India’s role as a preferred security partner and first responder in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), as 2025 marks the 10th anniversary of the government’s Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) policy.

 

The maiden Africa India Key Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME) exercise will be co-hosted by the Indian Navy and the Tanzania Peoples Defence Force, and held from April 13 to 18 off the coast of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The six-day exercise will see participation from Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, and South Africa, alongside the co-hosts. Including Tanzania, ten African nations will take part, with all but South Africa belonging to the continent's eastern region.

 

Interestingly, Djibouti also hosts China’s first known overseas military base—a naval facility.

 

"This large-scale multilateral maritime exercise with African countries, titled 'AIKEYME'—meaning 'Unity' in Sanskrit—is an initiative to enhance interoperability with their navies and maritime agencies," said a naval officer. The officer added that the exercise underscored the shared importance India and African nations place on maritime security and their continued commitment to co-operate against threats such as piracy, trafficking, and unregulated and unreported fishing through sharing of information and surveillance.

 

The harbour phase of the exercise will feature table-top and command post exercises on information sharing and counter-piracy, along with training in seamanship and visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS) operations. The sea phase will include seamanship drills, search and rescue, VBSS, small arms firing, and helicopter operations.

 

"With SAGAR entering its second decade, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth across Regions (MAHASAGAR) during his visit to Mauritius earlier this month, the Indian Navy is launching the maiden initiatives of Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) Sagar and AIKEYME to consolidate its position as the preferred security partner and first responder in the IOR,” said the officer.

 

Aimed at continuing co-operation with IOR nations, the IOS Sagar initiative will see an Indian Navy ship, INS Sunayna, deployed to the South West IOR with a combined crew from India and nine friendly foreign countries (FFCs)—Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, and South Africa. The plan is for the ship’s deployment, which will commence in April, to last over a month. IOS Sagar is slated to undertake port calls at Dar es Salaam, Nacala (Mozambique), Port Louis (Mauritius), Port Victoria (Seychelles), and Malé (Maldives). It will also conduct joint surveillance of the exclusive economic zones of Tanzania, Mozambique, Mauritius, and Seychelles.

 

The FFC personnel will undergo a two-week training capsule at various naval professional schools in Kochi, including training at sea. Plans also call for the crew of IOS Sagar to witness the harbour phase activities of Exercise AIKEYME at Dar es Salaam.

 

Over the past ten years, the Indian Navy has deepened its partnerships with maritime agencies of the IOR in consonance with the SAGAR vision. It has also been collaborating with the navies of IOR countries through joint naval exercises, coordinated patrols, information sharing, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts, and capacity building.

 

The continued focus on the IOR and African countries comes at a time when China has significantly expanded its economic and military presence in both regions. A report published by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies—an academic institution affiliated with the US Department of Defense—found that Chinese state-owned enterprises are involved as builders, financiers, or operators in an estimated 78 ports across 32 African countries.