Addis Ababa, Dec 17: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali to attend the AI Impact Summit and the BRICS Summit, both scheduled to be hosted by India in 2026, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Wednesday.
Briefing the media on Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Ethiopia, MEA Secretary (Economic Relations) Sudhakar Dalela said India will assume the chairship of the BRICS grouping for a one-year term beginning January 1, 2026. He added that the invitation reflects India’s intent to deepen engagement with Ethiopia and strengthen cooperation within multilateral forums.
Dalela informed that Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to address a joint session of the Ethiopian Parliament later on Wednesday, marking a significant moment in parliamentary engagement between the two countries. During the day, the Prime Minister will also meet the Speaker of the Ethiopian Parliament and interact with several senior Ethiopian leaders as part of his official engagements.
As part of the visit, Prime Minister Modi will tour the Adwa Museum and pay homage at the Adwa Victory Memorial, underlining the shared historical and cultural connections between India and Ethiopia. The MEA said Modi arrived in Addis Ababa on Tuesday and received a warm and enthusiastic welcome.
In a special gesture highlighting the close personal rapport between the two leaders, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali personally drove Prime Minister Modi to the National Science Museum and Friendship Park in Addis Ababa. Later, Prime Minister Modi was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the National Palace, where he inspected the Guard of Honour.
The two leaders held extensive bilateral talks covering political cooperation, economic engagement and the future direction of the India-Ethiopia strategic partnership. According to the MEA, Prime Minister Modi thanked Ethiopia for its strong and consistent support to India in the fight against terrorism “in all its manifestations”.
Several Memoranda of Understanding were exchanged during the visit, covering key areas of cooperation. These include agreements on customs cooperation, training for United Nations peacekeeping missions, and the establishment of a data centre at the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Education cooperation received a major boost, with Prime Minister Modi announcing the doubling of scholarships for Ethiopian students under the Indian Council for Cultural Relations programme. India will also offer specialised short-term courses in Artificial Intelligence under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation initiative.
“Our education partnership with Ethiopia is very strong. There is significant interest among Ethiopian students to study in India. The Prime Minister has announced the doubling of scholarship slots for Ethiopians,” Dalela said.
The MEA also released the official outcomes of the visit, highlighting the elevation of India-Ethiopia relations to the level of a Strategic Partnership as a major milestone. Among the key agreements were an accord on cooperation and mutual administrative assistance in customs matters, an MoU for setting up a data centre at Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and an implementing arrangement to enhance cooperation in UN peacekeeping training.
India and Ethiopia also signed an MoU on debt restructuring under the G20 Common Framework, signalling closer coordination on economic and financial issues. In the healthcare sector, India committed to supporting capacity enhancement at the Mahatma Gandhi Hospital in Addis Ababa, with a focus on strengthening maternal and neonatal care services.
During the visit, Prime Minister Modi was conferred Ethiopia’s highest civilian honour, the ‘Great Honour Nishan of Ethiopia’, for which he expressed deep gratitude to the government and people of Ethiopia.
