AIKEYME 2025: Strengthening Maritime Diplomacy In The Global South

The inaugural Africa India Key Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME) 2025 kicked off on 13 April 2025 in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, marking a landmark moment in strengthening India-Africa maritime relations. The exercise, running until 18 April, brings together naval forces from Comoros, Djibouti, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, South Africa, India, and Tanzania. It exemplifies India's growing role as a maritime partner in the Global South, addressing shared maritime challenges and fostering deeper strategic cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

The launch ceremony was attended by Dr. Stergomena Lawrence Tax, Tanzania's Minister of Defence and National Service, Shri Sanjay Seth, India's Raksha Rajya Mantri (RRM), and Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, the Chief of the Indian Navy. The event also saw the presence of senior Tanzanian military leadership's presence, highlighting the exercise's importance in building enduring maritime security frameworks.

A Collaborative Maritime Vision

In her inaugural speech, Dr. Tax highlighted the critical need for a collective approach to combat maritime threats such as piracy and trafficking, stressing the value of "collaborative effort towards maritime security by like-minded partners." She emphasized Tanzania's belief in "collaborative regional cooperation" beyond military affairs, marking the exercise as a foundation for sustainable, long-term partnerships.

Echoing this sentiment, Shri Sanjay Seth invoked the African proverb, "If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together," reinforcing India's commitment to a lifelong partnership with Africa. He reiterated India's vision of MAHASAGAR, which seeks "Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions," and thanked Tanzania for co-hosting AIKEYME 2025. His address highlighted India's desire to establish deep, enduring partnerships with African nations grounded in military cooperation and comprehensive maritime diplomacy.

Operational Focus: Enhancing Maritime Security

AIKEYME 2025 is designed to enhance maritime domain awareness (MDA), improve interoperability, and strengthen the operational capacities of participating nations. The exercise spans two phases: a harbour phase and a sea phase. During the harbour phase, joint training drills focused on anti-piracy, information sharing, and coordination in sea operations will take place, followed by a sea phase aimed at reinforcing collective maritime security and operational cohesion among the navies of the participating countries.

India's maritime presence is significant, with the INS Chennai (destroyer) and INS Kesari (landing ship tank) representing the Indian Navy in AIKEYME 2025. Additionally, the Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) SAGAR, a pivotal element in India's maritime diplomacy, participated in the inaugural ceremony. IOS SAGAR is manned by a multinational crew comprising naval personnel from nine African nations, illustrating India's approach to maritime capacity building through shared knowledge and joint operations. This inclusion highlights India's growing focus on maritime collaboration rather than mere security provision.

India-Africa Cooperation: A Shared Maritime Future

AIKEYME 2025 stands as a significant evolution in India's maritime diplomacy. Unlike China's infrastructure-driven maritime outreach, India's approach is grounded in co-ownership, skill-sharing, and operational interoperability. India's cooperation model is not about transactional engagement but is designed to build long-term trust and mutual respect among maritime nations in the Global South.

In her speech, Dr. Tax outlined the importance of building a "framework for innovation and information sharing," which reflects India's commitment to enabling African nations to tackle their maritime security challenges autonomously while fostering a culture of transparency and collaborative governance. AIKEYME is thus a joint exercise and a platform to establish lasting partnerships and build a cooperative maritime security network that spans the Indian Ocean.

Strategic Implications for India's Role in the Global South

India's commitment to the Global South is highlighted through AIKEYME 2025, as the country positions itself as the preferred security partner in the IOR. Through such engagements, India is enhancing its reputation as a responsible maritime power focused on peaceful maritime governance and regional cooperation. The exercise is an extension of MAHASAGAR, which expands India's maritime reach, aligning its strategic goals with its partners in the IOR and beyond.

Moreover, India's neighbourhood-first policy, backed by humanitarian assistance operations like Mission SAGAR and Operation Brahma, demonstrates India's commitment to being the first responder in the region during crises. AIKEYME further exemplifies this by offering tangible support in capacity-building, maritime surveillance, and counter-piracy operations.

Aritra Banerjee is a Defence, Foreign Affairs & Aerospace Journalist, Co-Author of the book 'The Indian Navy @75: Reminiscing the Voyage' and was the Co-Founder of Mission Victory India (MVI), a new-age military reforms think-tank. He has worked in TV, Print and Digital media, and has been a columnist writing on strategic affairs for national and international publications. His reporting career has seen him covering major Security and Aviation events in Europe and travelling across Kashmir conflict zones.

(X: @Aritrabanned)