Africa India Key Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME)

Africa India Key Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME) Latest News

Recently, the inaugural edition of the Africa India Key Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME), a large-scale multilateral maritime exercise, began in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.

About Africa India Key Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME)

• AIKEYME is a large-scale multilateral maritime exercise between India and African nations, inaugurated in April 2025 at Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.
• Co-hosting Nations: India and Tanzania jointly host the exercise, reflecting theirshared strategic interests in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
• 11 nations are participating: India, Tanzania, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, and South Africa.
• The primary aim is to develop cooperative solutions to regional maritime challenges and to enhance naval interoperability and coordination between partner navies.
• Strategic vision: The exercise aligns with India’s SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) vision and MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions) initiative, which PM unveiled in March 2025.
• Indian naval participation: INS Chennai (Destroyer), INS Kesari (Landing Ship Tank), and INS Sunayna are deployed as part of the engagement.
• IOS Sagar initiative: INS Sunayna is sailing under the Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) SAGAR mission, involving joint surveillance and goodwill port calls in Tanzania, Mozambique, Mauritius, Seychelles, and the Maldives.
• Exercise duration: Conducted over six days (April 13–18, 2025), divided into harbour and sea phases.

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Africa India Key Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME) FAQs

Q1. What is AIKEYME?
Ans. Africa India Key Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME) is a strategic initiative to enhance maritime cooperation between India and African nations, focusing on security, trade, blue economy, and combating piracy in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

Q2. How does AIKEYME align with India’s foreign policy?
Ans. It aligns with India’s SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) vision, promoting regional stability, sustainable development, and capacity-building in Africa’s coastal states.

Q3. What are the focus areas under AIKEYME?
Ans. Key areas include maritime surveillance, port infrastructure development, fisheries management, and joint naval exercises to ensure secure sea lanes.

Source: TH