New Delhi: In a major step toward expanding maritime cooperation in the Indian Ocean region, India and 10 African nations are preparing to conduct their first joint naval exercise in April 2025. The initiative, dubbed “AIKEYME” (Africa India Key Maritime Engagement) – meaning “unity” in Sanskrit – will be co-hosted by the Indian Navy and Tanzania People’s Defence Force (TPDF) at Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
The defence minister, Rajnath Singh, is scheduled to inaugurate the six-day exercise in mid-April. Participating nations include Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, South Africa, and co-hosts India and Tanzania.
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AIKEYME will feature both harbour and sea phases. The harbour phase will include “tabletop” and “command post” exercises focusing on piracy and information sharing, alongside training in seamanship and visit board search and seizure (VBSS) operations. The sea phase will encompass seamanship evolutions, search and rescue operations, VBSS, small arms firing, and helicopter operations.
This joint exercise comes as part of New Delhi’s broader maritime security initiatives in the region, as the country’s Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) vision enters its second decade. The prime minister, Narendra Modi, recently announced the “Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security Across the Regions” (MAHASAGAR) initiative during his visit to Mauritius in March 2025.
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In parallel with AIKEYME, the Navy is launching the Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) Sagar initiative, which will see the deployment of INS Sunayna to the southwest Indian Ocean region with a combined crew from India and nine partner nations: Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, South Africa, and Sri Lanka.
The deployment, scheduled to last over a month in April 2025, will include port calls at Dar es Salaam, Nacala, Port Louis, Port Victoria, and Male. The ship will also conduct joint surveillance of the exclusive economic zones of Tanzania, Mozambique, Mauritius, and Seychelles.
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Personnel from friendly foreign countries will undergo a two-week training program at various naval professional schools in Kochi, including at-sea training. They will participate in wholeship activities, watchkeeping, and other events related to their respective branches or trades. These participants will also witness the harbor phase activities of Exercise AIKEYME at Dar es Salaam.
Over the past decade, the Navy has deepened partnerships with maritime agencies across the Indian Ocean region through joint naval exercises, coordinated patrols, information sharing, HADR (humanitarian assistance and disaster relief) efforts, capacity building, and diplomatic engagements.
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Both India and its African partners have emphasized the importance of maritime security, reiterating their commitment to increased cooperation in addressing threats such as piracy, illegal trafficking, and unregulated fishing through enhanced information sharing and surveillance.
These initiatives aim to solidify the Indian Navy’s position as the “preferred security partner” and “first responder” in the Indian Ocean region, reflecting India’s growing maritime influence and commitment to regional security.
