Has a Chadian President visited India?

Yes. President Idriss Deby Itno attended the India-Africa Summit-III in New Delhi from October 26-30, 2015 and held a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

India and Chad: diplomatic relations and milestones

Q: When did India and Chad hold their first Foreign Office Consultations?

According to the MEA brief of April 2026, the 1st round of India-Chad Foreign Office Consultations was held on February 13, 2025 in N'Djamena.

Q: How does the MEA describe India-Chad relations?

The brief states that bilateral relations remain cordial, that India enjoys great goodwill and admiration in Chad, and that high-level contacts have picked up since 2011.

This article covers the diplomatic relationship between India and Chad: the political relationship, meetings between leaders, ministerial visits in both directions, Chadian participation in India's virtual summits and the first Foreign Office Consultations. It is based on the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) bilateral brief dated 15 April 2026.

Political relations

According to the MEA brief of April 2026, bilateral relations between India and Chad remain cordial. The brief states that India enjoys great goodwill and admiration in Chad, and that high-level contacts and cooperation between the two countries have picked up since 2011, with several bilateral visits and high-level interactions.

India has had a resident Ambassador in N'Djamena since 2023; the practical article of this guide describes India's mission in Chad and how it was previously covered from Abuja.

Meetings between leaders

The brief describes the first meeting between Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno and the Prime Minister of India as historic. It took place in May 2011 on the sidelines of the India Africa Forum Summit-II in Addis Ababa. President Deby expressed his wish to pay a bilateral visit to India, which the Prime Minister accepted.

Prof. Ram Shankar Katheria, Minister of State for HRD, visited Chad on July 13-14, 2015 as Special Envoy of the Prime Minister. He handed over the Prime Minister's letter inviting the Chadian President to attend the India-Africa Summit III in New Delhi.

President Idriss Deby Itno then visited New Delhi for the India-Africa Summit-III from October 26-30, 2015. Apart from the summit meetings, he held a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

The brief states that relations received a boost with the visit of Chadian Prime Minister Mr. Pahimi Padacke Albert to New Delhi from 10-13 March 2018. He attended the Founding Conference of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and the Solar Summit on 11 March 2018, and held a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Modi on the sidelines.

Ministerial visits

Chadian ministers who have visited India, as recorded in the brief:

Foreign Minister Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat visited New Delhi in August 2013 and held bilateral discussions with the External Affairs Minister and the Minister of State.
Mr. Bechir Madet, Minister of Petrol, Energy and in charge of Promotion of Renewable Energy, visited from 5-7 December 2016 for the 12th edition of Petro-Tech 2016 and met Minister of State (Independent Charge) Shri Dharmendra Pradhan.
Mr. Ngueto Tiraina Yambaye, Minister of Economy, Planning & Development, with three senior officials, attended the African Development Bank (AfDB) meeting in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, from 22-26 May 2017.
Mr. Mahamat Allahou Taher, Minister of Telecommunication & Digital Economy, visited from May 20-24, 2023 and met Shri Ashvini Vaishnaw, Minister of Railways, Communication & Electronics and Information Technology.

The visit of the Chadian Commerce and Industry Minister in August 2024 is covered in the trade article, and a defence delegation's visit in February 2025 in the development article.

Virtual participation in India's summits

Chadian ministers have taken part in the Voice of Global South Summit (VoGSS) hosted by India:

On 12 January 2023, Mr. Tahid Hamid Nguilin, Minister of Finance and Budget, took part in the Finance Ministers' Session on the theme "Financing People Centric Development", hosted by Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman.
On 17 November 2023, Dr. Abdel Madjid Abderahim, Minister of Public Health & Prevention, took part in the Health Ministers' Session of the 2nd VoGSS, held under the theme "Together, for Everyone's Growth, with Everyone's Trust".
On 17 August 2024, Dr. Idriss Saleh Bachar, Minister of Environment, Fisheries and Sustainable Development, spoke first in the Environment Ministers' Session of VoGSS 3.0.

Foreign Office Consultations

The 1st round of India-Chad Foreign Office Consultations (FOCs) was held on February 13, 2025 in N'Djamena. It was co-chaired by Shri Sevala Naik Mude, Additional Secretary (Central and West Africa), Ministry of External Affairs, and Mrs. Fatime Aldjineh Garfa, Minister delegate for Foreign Affairs of Chad.

The two sides reviewed bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, health and pharmaceuticals, education, capacity building, defence, digital public infrastructure (DPI), agriculture, and people-to-people and cultural exchanges. The brief records that both sides agreed to further deepen bilateral ties in key areas and to enhance cooperation in multilateral fora.