Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi was on a 2-day official visit to Ethiopia from December 16 to 17, 2025 as the 2nd leg of his 3-nation tour (Jordan, Ethiopia, and Oman), at the invitation of Abiy Ahmed Ali, Prime Minister (PM) of Ethiopia.
- This marked PM Modi’s 1st ever bilateral visit to the African nation.
Exam Hints:
- What? Highlights of PM Modi’s visit to Ethiopia
- Significance: 1st bilateral visit to Ethiopia
- Bilateral Meeting: Abiy Ahmed Ali, PM of Ethiopia
- Key MoUs signed on: Customs cooperation, UN Peacekeeping training, setting up of data centre at Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Debt restructuring under G20 framework
- Other Key Highlights: Elevation of bilateral ties strategic partnership roadmap
- PM Modi Conferred with: The Great Honour Nishan of Ethiopia, Ethiopia’s highest civilian honour
Highlights of PM Modi’s Visit to Ethiopia:
Arrival: On December 16 2025, PM Narendra Modi arrived at airport in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, where he was received by his Ethiopian counterpart Abiy Ahmed Ali.
Bilateral Meeting: During his visit to Ethiopia, PM Modi held a bilateral meeting with Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed at the National Palace (in Addis Ababa), where he was accorded a ceremonial welcome.
- The meeting was held in one-on-one, restricted and delegation-level formats, during which both leaders reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral relations, rooted in long-standing civilisational links and strengthened by close people-to-people ties.
Key Details:
Key Areas of Cooperation: The discussions were mainly focused on areas like: trade and investment, innovation and technology, education and capacity building, and defence.
Expand Collaboration in News Areas: During the meeting, PM Modi expressed interest in expanding collaboration with Ethiopia in areas like: health security, digital health, traditional medicine, Jan Aushadi Kendras, food security, sustainable agriculture, natural farming and agri-tech.
Economic Cooperation: Also, leaders of both countries reviewed the economic partnership between India and Ethiopia and discussed cooperation in the fields of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), mining, critical minerals, and clean energy.
Global and Regional Issues: Also, both leaders discussed regional and global issues and reaffirmed their shared commitment to address the concerns of the Global South in multilateral forums, including the United Nations (UN).
Addressed Joint Session of Ethiopian Parliament: During his visit, PM Modi addressed the joint session of the Parliament of Ethiopia.
- With this, the Ethiopian Parliament has become the 18th parliament worldwide to be addressed by PM Modi.
- While addressing the Parliament, PM Modi highlighted that Indian companies have invested over USD 5 billion in Ethiopia across various sectors like: manufacturing, agriculture, health, textiles, generating over 75,000 local jobs.
Key Outcomes:
Elevation to Strategic Partnership: India and Ethiopia have elevated their bilateral relations to a Strategic Partnership (SP), marking a major step in strengthening cooperation between the two Global South partners.
- This move aimed to expand bilateral cooperation in sectors like: technology, innovation, mining, clean energy, food security, among others.
3 MoUs: Following the bilateral meeting, PM Modi and his Ethiopian counterpart witnessed the exchange of 3 key Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) in areas like: customs cooperation, United Nations (UN) Peacekeeping training, and data infrastructure.
- Custom Cooperation: India and Ethiopia signed an agreement on cooperation and mutual administrative assistance on custom matters.
- UN Peacekeeping Operations: Both countries signed a MoU which aimed at implementing arrangements for co-operation in UN Peacekeeping operations training.
- Establishment of Data Centre: Also, both countries signed a MoU for setting up a data centre at Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
MoU on Debt Restructuring: India and Ethiopia signed a MoU on Debt Restructuring in respect of Ethiopia under the Group-20 (G20) Common Framework.
Doubling of ICCR Scholarships: India and Ethiopia have agreed upon the doubling of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) scholarship for Ethiopian students.
Specialized Short Term Courses in AI: They also agreed to introduce specialised short-term courses to the Ethiopian students and professionals in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme.
Augment Healthcare Facilities: India announced that it will help in augmenting the capacity of the Mahatma Gandhi Hospital in Addis Ababa in the fields of maternal healthcare, neonatal care.
Honoured with Ethiopia’s Highest Honour: PM Narendra Modi was honoured with ‘The Great Honour Nishan of Ethiopia’, the highest honor of Ethiopia, by Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed Ali, during a special ceremony held at the Addis International Convention Centre.
- He received this award in recognition of his exceptional contribution towards strengthening India-Ethiopia partnership and for his visionary leadership as a global statesman.
- With this, PM Modi has now become the 1st global head of state or head of government to receive this honour.
- Also, this marks the 28th top foreign state award bestowed on PM Modi.
About Ethiopia:
Prime Minister (PM)- Abiy Ahmed Ali
Capital- Addis Ababa
Currency- Ethiopian Birr (ETB)
