External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived in Addis Ababa on Thursday as the final stop of his three-nation tour of Africa, following visits to Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire.

Upon his arrival in the Ethiopian capital, Jaishankar expressed appreciation for the warm welcome extended by Ethiopia's State Minister, Berhanu Tsegaye. He said he looked forward to a series of productive engagements aimed at advancing the strategic partnership between India and Ethiopia.

The visit underscores India's continued focus on strengthening political, economic and developmental ties with African nations, with Ethiopia regarded as a significant partner in East Africa and the seat of the African Union.

Earlier during his visit to Côte d'Ivoire, Jaishankar highlighted that development cooperation remains at the centre of India's engagement with Africa. He stressed that India's approach is shaped by the priorities and requirements identified by its African partners.

Addressing alumni of the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Program in Côte d'Ivoire, he said India has consistently aligned its development initiatives with the needs of African countries, reflecting a partnership-driven model of cooperation.

Jaishankar also referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Kampala Principles, which guide India's engagement with Africa and emphasise mutual respect, capacity building, local priorities and sustainable development.

He described the ITEC Program as an important platform for sharing India's experiences in development, governance, security and institution-building. The initiative also facilitates the exchange of technology, expertise and best practices across a wide range of sectors.

The minister noted that the Program benefits both sides, enabling India to learn from participants of partner countries while strengthening professional and institutional linkages.

Launched in 1964, the ITEC Program marked its 62nd anniversary this year. It currently extends to more than 160 partner countries and offers close to 10,000 fully funded training opportunities annually.

The Program covers diverse fields including information and communication technology, digital governance, public administration, agriculture, energy, skill development, defence, security and counter-terrorism.

During his engagements in Côte d'Ivoire, Jaishankar met Vice Prime Minister and Defence Minister Téné Birahima Ouattara, with discussions focusing on the steadily expanding defence partnership between the two nations.

He also held talks with Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Nialé Kaba in Abidjan. Discussions centred on enhancing cooperation in trade, investment, infrastructure, agriculture, healthcare and people-to-people exchanges.

Jaishankar described Côte d'Ivoire as one of India's principal partners in West Africa and reaffirmed New Delhi's support for the country's economic development, governance reforms, and security and defence objectives.

Highlighting the importance of capacity-building initiatives, he noted that roughly 800 ITEC training slots had been utilised by Côte d'Ivoire over the past 12 years, helping to strengthen long-term bilateral ties.

He emphasised that human connections, professional networks and shared experiences created through such programmes remain vital to sustaining and expanding relations between India and African nations.

India's engagement with Africa has expanded significantly in recent years through development partnerships, training programmes, digital public infrastructure cooperation, healthcare initiatives, defence collaboration and growing trade links, reflecting New Delhi's broader commitment to the continent's economic and strategic advancement.

ANI