By Dr. Abhishek Mishra, Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), New Delhi
Maritime security in an African context is increasingly assuming prominence within the wider African security agenda.1 Despite the continent being surrounded by water on all sides, “the process of developing an agenda for maritime security has been a relatively new development.”2 Africa’s colonial legacy prompted an inward and continental outlook, resulting in African nations being termed “sea blind.”3 Following the onset of Somalia piracy and attacks on commercial shipping, African countries and international organizations realized the vitality of ensuring maritime security. Nations, particularly ones that are endowed with long coastlines and extensive exclusive economic zones (EEZ), quickly realized the importance of protecting their maritime domain to facilitate national growth and development. However, the capabilities and capacities of African countries to undertake the task of ensuring maritime security remain limited. Lack of political will, inter-agency coordination, overlapping interests of regional and sub-regional organizations, lack of funding, and insufficient technical competencies and capacities are some of the persisting challenges.
For India and African nations, a safe and secure maritime environment in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) is a prerequisite for achieving sustained national development. Such security is not simply restricted to guarding coastlines or territories. It also involves safeguarding national interests in EEZs and protecting sea-lanes of communications (SLOCs) and trading routes. The African continent’s stake in the maritime domain is reflected in the fact that 38 of its 54 countries have coastlines or are small island nations. The continent is endowed with a coastline of about 26,000 nautical miles and the overall maritime industry in the coastline is estimated to be worth around $1 trillion per year.4 This includes ‘offshore hydrocarbon, energy, tourism, maritime transport, shipping and fishing sectors.’5
Africa’s maritime environment is globally significant. Huge amounts of international shipping activity pass through African waters. “Around 90 percent of the continent’s trade is carried by sea, thereby making the African Maritime Domain (AMD) crucial for commercial, environmental, developmental and security reasons.”6
In Africa, “the initial continent-wide efforts to beef up search and rescue capacities evolved with the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) 2000 International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue,”7 following which a host of maritime rescue coordination centers and sub-centers were commissioned, ranging from Mombasa, Kenya, to Cape Town, South Africa, Lagos, Nigeria, Monrovia, Liberia and Rabat, Morocco.8 African maritime issues were discussed through a number of international meetings (conferences, symposiums, workshops) beginning in 2005, which provided platforms for African maritime stakeholders to come together and deliberate on issues of common interest in the maritime domain.9 These included Sea Power for Africa Symposium (SPAS), Eastern and Southern Africa-Western Indian Ocean (EASWIO) conference, and the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) led by India.
The IMO also sponsored various meetings which led to the adoption of the Djibouti Code of Conduct (DCoC) in 2009, which subsequently led to the opening of three information sharing centres (ISCs) in Mombasa, Kenya; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; and Sana’a, Yemen. In 2012, the African Union’s 2050 Africa Integrated Maritime Strategy (2050 AIM Strategy) was released which realized the potential of the AMD and the possibility of exploiting Africa’s Ocean resources in a sustainable manner to achieve economic growth and development. This was followed by the Lomé Charter in 2016.
Since then, African countries are paying increasing attention to concepts such as “blue economy” or “blue growth” which is vital for the sustainable development of Africa’s coastal economies and ensuring food and energy security. Maritime security and blue economy are intimately linked: “secure oceans are a precondition for the development of the blue economy.”10 A stronger blue economy could play a pivotal “role in alleviating some of the root causes of maritime crimes” for African countries in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region.11
The current African Maritime Forces Summit (AMFS) 2025 also reflects an attempt to bring service chiefs and senior leaders to discuss aspects of naval capabilities such as promoting shared awareness, interoperability, crisis response capability, and capacity building to improve Africa’s maritime domain security.
Locating Africa within the Indo-Pacific Discourse
The twenty-first century has witnessed the emergence of the Indo-Pacific region as a key maritime domain and a hub of global trade and energy supplies. The Indo-Pacific region’s geographical boundaries stretch from the eastern shores of Africa, i.e. the Western Indian Ocean, to the western shores of America, and include important maritime choke points at Bab el Mandeb and Malacca Strait.12 Japan, India and France were among the first to recognize this geographical definition of the Indo-Pacific. Although the U.S.’ initial conception of the Indo-Pacific did not include any African states, Washington did affirm to “integrate African states in Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific forums” in the U.S. Strategy for Sub-Saharan African document released in August 2022.13 Africa’s inclusion in the Indo-Pacific is today also backed by several European countries and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
In many ways, East African and Western Indian Ocean countries are central to the Indo-Pacific discourse.14 From an African perspective, three main priorities have emerged. The first relates to the growing militarization in the region, especially in the Horn of Africa, in which countries are setting military bases, regularly deploying naval warships, and investing heavily in hard infrastructure. While African countries do have genuine infrastructural deficiencies which require investments, not all the big-ticket investments and hard infrastructure projects are aligned with the national development priorities of African countries. The extensive foreign presence and growing militarization of the region is a source of tension for African countries and could have a destabilizing impact on the region.15
The second priority relates to the imperative of combating and tackling the menace of piracy and transnational crime. This poses severe challenges to African countries in the WIO, given the volume of trade that goes on this increasingly significant maritime trade route. Afghanistan’s opium production fuels maritime crimes throughout the WIO and provides important funding for violent non-state actors. According to Stable Seas, there are “19 active violent non-state actors that operate in the Western Indian Ocean region.”16
The third priority is ocean pollution, including dumping of toxic waste and emission of fumes by ships. All these issues pose significant threats but also provide an opportunity for countries within the Indo-Pacific to engage and cooperate in a constructive manner to seek solutions. This has increased the significance of the WIO and its littoral states to the Indo-Pacific discourse.
India’s Role in Supporting African Maritime Security Architecture
Maritime security cooperation has emerged as an important subset of broader Africa-India ties. India, sitting astride critical sea-lanes of communication in the IOR is emerging as a maritime power. The Indian Navy is increasingly positioning itself as a regional security provider with the principal objective of effectively patrolling the regional commons, as “a source of positive deterrence and provider of regional goods.”17 At the same time, there has been a growing maritime consciousness amongst African States about the importance of securing their maritime domain and sustainable use of marine resources in order to foster wealth creation and development.
Although engagement has been mostly bilateral, India and African countries are increasing their multilateral engagement through regional organizations like Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) and partaking in multinational maritime exercises like MILAN and Cutlass Express. Four principle avenues of India-Africa maritime cooperation have emerged:
- Training African maritime and military personnel at various Indian institutes;
- The Indian Navy regularly conducting anti-piracy patrols, escorting merchant vessels and maintaining a sustained presence in African waters due to its mission-based deployment patterns;
- Increased information-sharing to develop maritime domain awareness (MDA) by establishing greater linkages with information fusion centers and maritime coordination centers in the region; and
- Developing listening stations and posts, including one in Madagascar, another in Agalega island off Mauritius, and a proposed one in Assumption Island off Seychelles.
These efforts have been complemented by regular goodwill port visits, conclusion of white shipping agreements, conducting hydrographic surveys for African countries, and developing the Coastal Radar Surveillance network in Mauritius and Seychelles. India has recognized the varying priorities of African countries and has fine-tuned its own ways of maritime security cooperation in order to effectively respond to the emerging challenges.
Strategic Expansion: From SAGAR to MAHASAGAR
Back in 2015 when Prime Minister Modi visited Mauritius, he articulated India’s vision of ‘SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region),’ which primarily focused on improving relations with India’s immediate neighbours like Sri Lanka, Maldives, Mauritius and Seychelles.18 It attempted to advance cooperation by utilizing Indian expertise and capability to address common maritime challenges. Fast-forward to 2025, India has now advanced the vision of Maritime Heads for Active Security and Growth for All in the Region (MAHASAGAR) which reflects a strategic recalibration intended to position India as a consequential maritime power in the Indian Ocean and extend its ambitions beyond its immediate neighbourhood. It represents a strategic expansion of the SAGAR vision to encompass East African littorals and the wider Indo-Pacific region. This progression is not mere rhetorical evolution. As India seeks to deepen its naval diplomacy, Africa has emerged as the new strategic frontier and gateway for its “broader ambitions as a credible and preferred security partner.”19 Today, MAHASAGAR signifies India’s recognition of Africa as central to its strategic maritime calculus.
AIKEYME 2025 and IOS Sagar initiative
Under the MAHASAGAR framework, two landmark initiatives were launched. First was the Africa India Key Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME) initiative, a naval wargame to increase interoperability with African navies and maritime agencies, which took place in off Dar es-Salaam, co-hosted by the Indian Navy and the Tanzanian Peoples’ Defence Force (TPDF) in April 2025.20 Exercise participants included Kenya, Mozambique, Djibouti, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Comoros, and South Africa. This was the first such multinational maritime exercise involving India and African nations designed to synergise combined operations to develop collaborative solutions to address regional maritime insecurities, including piracy, illegal fishing and trafficking of narcotics and small arms.
India also conducts trilateral exercises with Mozambique and Tanzania – known as the India-Mozambique-Tanzania Trilateral Maritime Exercise (IMT-TRILAT) – and with Brazil and South Africa — the India-Brazil-South Africa Maritime Exercise (IBSAMAR). African countries also regularly participate in the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), MILAN exercises, and the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) has 9 African countries as members. This is important since the IORA provides another vital platform to highlight Africa’s developmental ambitions and challenges. With India set to assume the chairmanship of IORA in November 2025, there is now another opportunity for India and African countries to work closely on maritime issues.
The second initiative involved the Indian Ocean Ship-SAGAR (IOS-SAGAR). Under this, Indian patrol vessel INS Sunayna successfully completed a month-long deployment in the south-west Indian Ocean with 44 international crew from 9 African countries who jointly manned the Indian ship. Training assistance and capacity building initiatives have been a hallmark of India’s maritime engagement with Africa for a long time. Initiatives like IOS Sagar provided an opportunity to exchange best practices, undertake coordinated patrols, and enhance interoperability and mutual understanding.
Future Considerations
Hosting joint exercises or deploying warships demands considerable time, funding and logistical commitment. While there are risks of stretching capacity due to Indian Navy’s balancing operations in the Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea and wider Indo-Pacific, there is also genuine value in deepening maritime ties between India and Africa.21 While burnishing credentials as a regional-security provider and cultivating closer defense ties with African nations is welcome, growing activities should not be mistaken for greater influence. India’s maritime presence in African waters must be backed by delivery, consistency and trust.
The year 2025 also marks the end of the African Union’s Decade of African Seas and Oceans. Rather than benefitting from insights into best practices for combating maritime threats, the past decade has exposed significant shortcomings in tackling maritime priorities. “Widespread gaps in implementation, coordination and lack of political will” persist.22 At the 5th Sea Power for Africa Symposium (SPAS) held in October 2024, the message was clear: Reformulate the Africa Integrated Maritime Strategy 2050, reinforce information sharing among MDA centers, and establish a Combined Exclusive Maritime Zone of Africa (CEMZA).23
However, no African country can achieve these goals alone. The need of the hour is for African countries to express unity which is encapsulated under the concept of ‘Sisonke’ meaning “together” in isiXhosa.24 In such endeavours, India, with its operational capability and maritime expertise, could become a key partner in fostering African maritime capacities and creating cooperative frameworks that offer modest and meaningful alternatives for African development and maritime security.
Dr. Abhishek Mishra is an Associate Fellow Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defense Studies in India. His research focuses on India and China’s engagement in Africa, aimed at developing partnerships under the framework of South-South cooperation, including a specific focus on maritime security cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region. Dr. Mishra has published widely on African maritime security, Asian-African cooperation, and on a range of African security issues. He holds a PhD in African Studies from the Department of African Studies, University of Delhi. Before joining MP-IDSA, Dr. Mishra was working on African issues at the Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi.
Endnotes
1. Abhishek Mishra, “Evolution of African Maritime Security: Imperatives, Governance and Challenges,” MP-IDSA Occasional Paper No. 64, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, October 2024, https://www.idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/op-64-amishra-281024-1.pdf
2. Mishra “Evolution of African Maritime Security,” 41.
3. Timothy Walker, “From Missed Opportunity to Oceans of Prosperity,” Institute for Security Studies, October 13, 2015, https://issafrica.org/iss-today/frommissed-opportunity-to-oceans-of-prosperity
4. African Union, “2050 Africa’s Integrated Maritime Strategy (2050 AIM Strategy),” Version 1.0, 2012, https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/11151/2050_aims_srategy.pdf
5. Ifesinachi Okafor-Yarwood and Freedom C. Onuoha, “Whose Security Is It? Elitism and the Global Approach to Maritime Security in Africa,” Third World Quarterly, 44 no. 5 (2023): 946-966, https://doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2023.2167706
6. Abhishek Mishra, “India-Africa Maritime Cooperation: The Case of Western Indian Ocean,” ORF Occasional Paper No. 221, November 2019.
7. Ulf Engel, “The African Union, the African Peace and Security Architecture, and Maritime Security,” Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, 2014, https://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/aethiopien/10878.pdf
8. Engel, “The African Union,” 8.
9. Christian Bueger, “Communities of Security Practice at Work? The Emerging African Maritime Security Regime,” African Security, 6, no. 3/4, 2013, pp. 297-316, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/19392206.2013.853579
10. Raj Mohabeer and Kate Sullivan de Estrada, “Strengthening Maritime Security in the Western Indian Ocean,” Indian Ocean Commission, 2019, https://www.commissionoceanindien.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Strengthening-maritime-security-in-the-western-indian-ocean-policy-brief.pdf
11. Mohabeer and Sullivan de Estrada, “Strengthening Maritime Security,” 1.
12. Elizabeth Roche, “India’s View of Indo-Pacific Stretches from East Coast of Africa to West Coast of US: Shringla,” The Mint, November 3, 2020, https://www.livemint.com/news/india/india-s-view-of-indo-pacific-stretches-from-east-coast-of-africa-to-west-coast-of-us-shringla-11604423464721.html
13. “U.S. Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa,” August 2022, https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/U.S.-Strategy-Toward-Sub-Saharan-Africa-FINAL.pdf
14. Abhishek Mishra, ed, “Reflections on the Indo-Pacific: Perspectives from Africa,” Observer Research Foundation, December 2021, https://www.orfonline.org/public/uploads/posts/pdf/20230407120854.pdf
15. Christian Bueger and Jan Stockbruegger, “Maritime Security and the Western Indian Ocean’s Militarisation Dilemma,” African Security Review 31, no. 2, 2022, 195-210, doi:10.1080/10246029.2022.2053556.
16. Meghan Curran, Christopher Faulkner, Curtis Bell, Tyler Lycan, Michael Van Ginkel, and Jay Benson, “Violence at Sea: How Terrorists, Insurgents, and other Extremists Exploit the Maritime Domain,” Stable Seas, One Earth Foundation, August 2020, 190, https://www.stableseas.org/post/violence-at-sea-howterrorists-insurgents-and-other-extremists-exploit-the-maritime-domain
17. Abhijit Singh, “India’s Evolving Maritime Posture in the Indian Ocean: Opportunities for the Gulf,” Emirates Diplomatic Academy, August 2020, https://www.agda.ac.ae/docs/default-source/Publications/eda-insight-aug-2020-eng-abhijit.pdf?sfvrsn=6
18. “Text of PM’s Remarks on the Commissioning of Coast Ship Barracuda,” Press Information Bureau, Government of India,
March 12, 2015, https://www.pib.gov.in/newsite/printrelease.aspx?relid=116881
19. Ashish Singh, “India’s Maritime Pivot: From SAGAR to MAHASAGAR with Africa on Sight,” The Sunday Guardian, April 13, 2025, https://sundayguardianlive.com/investigation/indias-maritime-pivot-from-sagar-to-mahasagar-with-africa-on-sight
20. “Indian Navy’s Maiden Initiative of Indian Ocean Ship SAGAR (IOS SAGAR) and Africa India Key Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME),” Press Information Bureau, Government of India, March 24, 2025, https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2114491
21. Abhijit Singh, “Delhi’s Balancing Act in Western Indian Ocean,” Hindustan Times, 18 April 2025, https://www.hindustantimes.com/opinion/delhis-balancing-act-in-western-indian-ocean-101744989142768.html
22. Timothy Walker, “Sink or Swim: Africa’s Crucial Milestones in 2025,” Institute for Security Studies, 16 January 2025, https://issafrica.org/iss-today/sink-or-swim-africa-s-crucial-maritime-milestones-in-2025
23. “Sea Power Conference Produces Cooperation Goals,” Africa Defence Forum, 30 April 2025, https://adf-magazine.com/2025/04/sea-power-conference-produces-cooperation-goals/
24. “SA Navy Chief Seeks Improved African Maritime Security through Cooperation, Exercises,” defenceWeb, 4 September 2023, https://www.defenceweb.co.za/security/maritime-security/sa-navy-chief-seeks-improved-african-maritime-security/
References
African Union, ‘2050 Africa’s Integrated Maritime Strategy (2050 AIM Strategy),’ Version 1.0, 2012. https://au.int/sites/default/files/documents/30929-doc-2050_aim_strategy_eng_0.pdf
Bueger, Christian. “Communities of Security Practice at Work? The Emerging African Maritime Security Regime.” African Security, 6 no. ¾ (2013): 297-316. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/19392206.2013.853579
Bueger, Christian and Jan Stockbruegger. “Maritime Security and the Western Indian Ocean’s Militarisation Dilemma.” African Security Review 31, no. 2 (2022): 195-210. doi:10.1080/10246029.2022.2053556.
Curran, Meghan, Christopher Faulkner, Curtis Bell, Tyler Lycan, Michael Van Ginkel, and Jay Benson. “Violence at Sea: How Terrorists, Insurgents, and other Extremists Exploit the Maritime Domain.” Stable Seas, One Earth Foundation, August 2020. https://www.stableseas.org/post/violence-at-sea-howterrorists-insurgents-and-other-extremists-exploit-the-maritime-domain
Engel, Ulf. “The African Union, the African Peace and Security Architecture, and Maritime Security.” Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, 2014. https://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/aethiopien/10878.pdf
“Indian Navy’s Maiden Initiative of Indian Ocean Ship SAGAR (IOS SAGAR) and Africa India Key Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME).” Press Information Bureau, Government of India, March 24, 2025. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2114491
Mishra, Abhishek. “Evolution of African Maritime Security: Imperatives, Governance and Challenges,” MP-IDSA Occasional Paper No. 64. Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, October 2024.
Mishra, Abhishek. “India-Africa Maritime Cooperation: The Case of Western Indian Ocean.” ORF Occasional Paper No. 221, November 2019.
Mishra, Abhishek, ed. “Reflections on the Indo-Pacific: Perspectives from Africa.” December 2021, Observer Research Foundation.
Mohabeer, Raj and Kate Sullivan de Estrada, “Strengthening Maritime Security in the Western Indian Ocean.” Indian Ocean Commission, 2019. https://www.commissionoceanindien.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Strengthening-maritime-security-in-the-western-indian-ocean-policy-brief.pdf
Okafor-Yarwood, Ifesinachi and Freedom C. Onuoha, “Whose Security Is It? Elitism and the Global Approach to Maritime Security in Africa.” Third World Quarterly 44 no. 5 (2023): 946-966. https://doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2023.2167706
Roche, Elizabeth. “India’s View of Indo-Pacific Stretches from East Coast of Africa to West Coast of US: Shringla.” The Mint, November 3, 2020. https://www.livemint.com/news/india/india-s-view-of-indo-pacific-stretches-from-east-coast-of-africa-to-west-coast-of-us-shringla-11604423464721.html
“SA Navy Chief Seeks Improved African Maritime Security through Cooperation, Exercises.” defenceWeb, September 4, 2023. https://www.defenceweb.co.za/security/maritime-security/sa-navy-chief-seeks-improved-african-maritime-security/
“Sea Power Conference Produces Cooperation Goals.” Africa Defence Forum, April 30, 2025. https://adf-magazine.com/2025/04/sea-power-conference-produces-cooperation-goals/25
Singh, Abhijit. “Delhi’s Balancing act in Western Indian Ocean.” Hindustan Times, April 18, 2025. https://www.hindustantimes.com/opinion/delhis-balancing-act-in-western-indian-ocean-101744989142768.html
Singh, Abhijit. “India’s Evolving Maritime Posture in the Indian Ocean: Opportunities for the Gulf.” Emirates Diplomatic Academy, August 2020. https://www.agda.ac.ae/docs/default-source/Publications/eda-insight-aug-2020-eng-abhijit.pdf?sfvrsn=6
Singh, Ashish. “India’s Maritime Pivot: From SAGAR to MAHASAGAR with Africa on Sight,” The Sunday Guardian, April 13, 2025. https://sundayguardianlive.com/investigation/indias-maritime-pivot-from-sagar-to-mahasagar-with-africa-on-sight
“Text of PM’s Remarks on the Commissioning of Coast Ship Barracuda.” Press Information Bureau, Government of India, 12 March 2015. https://www.pib.gov.in/newsite/printrelease.aspx?relid=116881
“U.S. Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa,” Executive Council of the President National Security Council, August 2022. https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/U.S.-Strategy-Toward-Sub-Saharan-Africa-FINAL.pdf
Walker, Timothy. “From Missed Opportunity to Oceans of Prosperity,” Institute for Security Studies, October 13, 2015. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/frommissed-opportunity-to-oceans-of-prosperity
Walker, Timothy. “Sink or Swim: Africa’s Crucial Milestones in 2025,” Institute for Security Studies, January 16, 2025. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/sink-or-swim-africa-s-crucial-maritime-milestones-in-2025
Featured Image: INS Chennai (D65) and KNS Jasiri (P3124) carrying out drills of the coast of Dar-es-Salaam during the Africa India Key Maritime Exercise. (Photo by Kenyan MoD)