President Ram Nath Kovind is on the second leg of his first overseas trip as president. After visiting Djibouti he is in Ethiopia now. The visits may have been low key but the two countries were chosen carefully. Both the countries are very significant to India's expanding foreign policy.
Djibouti, in the Gulf of Aden is strategically located, and has been wooed aggressively by China, already. China established its first overseas naval base in Djibouti. Kovind's was the first visit by an Indian president to the country. No Indian prime minister has visited Djibouti, either. India has already extended a line of credit of $49 million to Djibouti for constructing a cement plant. During Kovind's visit, India offered scholarships and training programmes and the two countries underlined the potential for deepening relations in the economic sphere. Djibouti is part of the International Solar Alliance spearheaded by India for augmenting the potential of solar energy as a renewable fuel.
Ethiopia, too, has remained largely ignored with regard to a high level visit, with the last visit by a president going back to 1972 when V V Giri visited the country. India, however, has more intensive economic ties with Ethiopia, being among the top three foreign investors in Ethiopia. Addressing the Indian diaspora in Adis Ababa, Kovind said they had been central to Ethiopia's development. The diaspora has educators, entrepreneurs and tech professionals. Ethiopia is the largest recipient of India's concessional Lines of Credit for Africa. Ethiopia is also projected by the World Economic Forum as a leader of economic growth in Africa and to become the fastest growing economy in the world this year with a growth of 8.3 per cent.
Although Ethiopia has historical ties with India, it has emerged even more important now, by playing a pivotal role in the Indo-Japanese, Asia-Africa Growth corridor that was launched this September at the Indo-Japan annual summit. These economic corridors are considered to parry the rising aspirations of China, with its Belt and Road Forum, by reviving the old silk route and expanding its footprint in the South China Sea. China also has huge investments in African nations. India has the advantage of historical links and thriving diaspora, specially in East Africa. Kovind's visit, thus, is deemed significant.
