The inaugural Africa-India Key Maritime Engagement (Aikeyme) exercise between India and multiple African countries is underway off Tanzania, with the sea phase kicking off on Wednesday.
The exercise officially began on 13 April in Dar-es-Salaam, marking what the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) said was a significant step in strengthening maritime cooperation between India and African nations. The opening ceremony was attended by Dr Stergomena Lawrence Tax, Minister of Defence and National Service of Tanzania, Sanjay Seth, India’s Raksha Rajya Mantri (RRM – Minister of State for Defence), and Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi. The event also saw the attendance of various military leaders, including the Chief of Defence Force of the Tanzania Peoples’ Defence Force (TPDF).
Tax, whilst inaugurating the exercise, stressed the “significance of going along” to tackle maritime threats like piracy and trafficking. She called for “collaborative effort towards maritime security by like-minded partners” and highlighted the aim of building an “enduring framework of maritime security, including innovation and information sharing.” She also reaffirmed Tanzania’s commitment to hosting future Aikeyme editions and their broader belief in “collaborative regional cooperation” beyond military affairs.
Seth emphasised the spirit of collaboration by quoting the African proverb, “If you want to go fast, go alone, If you want to go far, go together.” He expressed hope for a “life-long partnership”, invoked India’s maritime vision Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions (MAHASAGAR) and thanked Tanzania for co-hosting Aikeyme 25 alongside India.
For the exercise, the Indian Navy is represented by the Kolkata class stealth guided missile destroyer INS Chennai and Shardul class tank landing ship INS Kesari. These arrived in Tanzania on 10 and 11 April respectively.
Indian Ocean Ship Sagar was also present for the inaugural Aikeyme ceremony. The IOS Sagar initiative aims to enhance cooperation with Indian Ocean Region nations is seeing the Saryu-class patrol vessel INS Sunayna deployed to the Southwest Indian Ocean Region between 5 April and 8 May with a combined crew of Indian and 44 foreign crewmembers from Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, and South Africa. INS Sunayna entered Dar-es-Salaam on 12 April for Aikeyme and departed two days later for her next stop in Nacala, Mozambique.
Aikeyme 25, meaning ‘Unity’ in Sanskrit, is being conducted over six days with participation from Comoros, Djibouti, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles and South Africa, alongside India and Tanzania.
The harbour phase began on 13 April and concluded on 15 April. Joint training sessions for Indian Navy and Tanzanian Navy personnel on damage control, fire fighting, seamanship evolutions, small arms and boat handling procedures were conducted by INS Kesari along with a specialist team from INS Chennai, while a Tabletop Exercise (TTX) and Command Post Exercise (CPX) were conducted at the Shule Ya Ubaharia (Naval Training School) in Dar-es-Salaam.
The harbour phase also featured a defence exposition in which 22 Indian firms showcased advanced technologies, including surveillance and communication systems.
The sea phase commenced on 16 April and will focus on seamanship evolutions, search and rescue, VBSS (visit, board, search and seizure), small arms firing and helicopter operations, the Indian Navy said. Around 10 ships are taking part in the drills, along with an Indian Navy P-8I long-range maritime surveillance aircraft.
Aikeyme 2025 concludes on Friday 18 April.
Giving background to the exercise, the Indian Navy said India and Africa give immense importance to maritime security “and have reiterated their commitment to increase cooperation in tackling maritime security threats such as piracy, illegal activities including trafficking, unregulated and unreported fishing through sharing of information and surveillance.” AIkeyme “is an initiative in this direction to enhance interoperability with the navies/maritime agencies.”
This year’s inaugural exercise comes amid growing Chinese economic, military and political influence in Africa, a surge in piracy off the Horn of Africa, and the continued threat from Houthi rebels to global shipping.
Over the past decade, India has conducted numerous joint operations with African navies, as well as port visits. India has also strengthened bilateral security ties with Kenya, and for example supplied patrol boats to Mozambique. Last year it participated in Exercise Ibsamar VIII with Brazil and South Africa off the Cape coast.
Africa’s eastern coastal waters lie within India’s security perimeter, which led India to deepen its relations with Kenya, Mozambique and Tanzania as well. India has established monitoring stations in northern Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles to track maritime activity and boost security in the western Indian Ocean, including the Gulf of Aden and the Mozambique Channel.
