New Delhi, December 17. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 16 held wide-ranging talks with his Ethiopian counterpart, Abiy Ahmed, during an official visit to Ethiopia, with the two leaders agreeing to elevate bilateral relations to the level of a Strategic Partnership.
Prime Minister Modi was accorded a ceremonial welcome on his arrival at the National Palace in Addis Ababa, where he met Abiy Ahmed in one-on-one, restricted and delegation-level formats. The discussions covered the full spectrum of India-Ethiopia relations, rooted in centuries-old civilisational links and sustained by strong people-to-people ties.
Both leaders underlined the importance of closer cooperation as partners from the Global South and reiterated their commitment to contributing to a more inclusive global order. Prime Minister Modi recalled India’s role in welcoming the African Union as a permanent member of the G20 during India’s presidency in 2023 and thanked Ethiopia for its solidarity following the Pahalgam terror attack, as well as for its support in the global fight against terrorism.
Reviewing progress across multiple sectors, the two sides took stock of cooperation in trade and investment, innovation and technology, education and capacity building, and defence. Prime Minister Modi expressed India’s readiness to deepen collaboration in areas such as health security, digital health, traditional medicine, Jan Aushadhi Kendras, food security, sustainable agriculture, natural farming and agri-tech, noting that development cooperation continued to reinforce people-to-people ties.
Economic engagement also featured prominently in the talks. The leaders discussed opportunities in Digital Public Infrastructure, mining, critical minerals and clean energy. Prime Minister Modi said Indian companies have invested over $5 billion in Ethiopia, particularly in manufacturing and pharmaceuticals, generating more than 75,000 local jobs.
At the multilateral level, the two Prime Ministers reaffirmed their resolve to jointly articulate the concerns of the Global South, including at the United Nations. They called for enhanced cooperation on climate change, renewable energy and disaster risk reduction, and welcomed collaboration through international initiatives such as the International Big Cat Alliance, Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, Global Biofuel Alliance and the International Solar Alliance. Prime Minister Modi also said India looked forward to working closely with Ethiopia as BRICS partners and in the run-up to the proposed India-Africa Forum Summit.
Following the talks, the leaders witnessed the exchange of three memoranda of understanding covering training for United Nations peacekeeping operations, mutual administrative assistance in customs matters, and the establishment of a data centre at Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Abiy Ahmed later hosted a banquet in honour of Prime Minister Modi. During the visit, Prime Minister Modi invited his Ethiopian counterpart to visit India, an invitation that was accepted.
