The inaugural edition of the multilateral exercise named ‘Africa India Key Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME 2025)’ which means ‘Unity’ in Sanskrit, a 1st of-its-kind initiative co-hosted by India and Tanzania, commenced in Tanzania on April 13, 2025 and will continue till April 18, 2025.

• The harbour phase of the exercise was jointly inaugurated by Union Minister of State (MoS) Sanjay Seth, Ministry of Defence (MoD), India and Minister of Defence and National Service of Tanzania Dr. Stergomena Lawrence onboard Indian Naval Ship (INS) Chennai at Dar-es-salam, Tanzania.
• This initiative is in alignment with Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s vision of promoting Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions (MAHASAGAR).

About AIKEYME 2025:

i.Participating countries: The 6-day multilateral exercise saw participation from various African countries such as: Comoros, Djibouti, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles and South Africa (SA).

ii.Participating Units from India: INS Chennai (destroyer) and INS Kesari (Large) reached at Dar-es-Salaam to participate in the exercise.

• Also, INS Sunayna, renamed Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) SAGAR and sailed out from Karwar naval base on April 05, 2025 will participate in the exercise.

iii.Harbour phase: This phase of the exercise includes an inauguration ceremony and a deck reception. During this phase, some of the planned activities include Table Top and Command Post Exercises focused on anti-piracy operations (ops) and information sharing,

• It further includes joint training in seamanship and Visit Board Search and Seizure (VBSS) exercises in partnership with the Tanzania People’s Defence Force(TPDF).
• In addition to these activities, the INSs will be open to visitors during the harbour phase to engage with the local population.

iv.Sea Phase: This phase of the exercise will be held from April 16 to April 18, 2025, will primarily focus on bolstering maritime security cooperation among the participating maritime countries.

Other Key Points:

i.MoS also participated in the digital inauguration of a Weapons Training Simulator facility established at Arusha (Tanzania). He also inaugurated a Defence Expo which features 22 Indian companies showcasing key defence platforms and systems.

ii.He also participated with personnel from participating countries and Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) SAGAR ships. He also toured INS Chennai and distributed goodwill gifts to Tanzania which included 15 sets of parachutes, books for the National Defence College, and a Tri-Services War Gaming Simulator.