This article covers India's development partnership with Eritrea, cooperation in agriculture, health, energy and defence, and trade between the two countries. It is based on the MEA bilateral brief of April 2026. The brief's trade material is short, so trade is covered here alongside economic and development cooperation.

Capacity building

According to the MEA brief of April 2026, India has provided capacity building assistance to Eritrea in several fields over the years, including legislative drafting, technical scholarships in areas such as agriculture, education, health and handicrafts, and food aid. In January 1995, the former Chief Justice of India, Justice P N Bhagwati, took part in a workshop on legislative drafting in Eritrea. At the request of the Eritrean Government, India provided a legal expert under the ITEC Programme to Eritrea for two years.

Line of credit

In July 2009, the Indian Government extended a Line of Credit of US$ 20 million to Eritrea, with US$ 10 million each for education and agricultural projects.

ITEC and training programmes

For the Financial Year 2026-27, 60 slots under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Scheme have been allotted to Eritrea. More than 240 Eritrean nationals have taken ITEC courses since 2007-2008. Other training recorded in the brief includes:

  • IAFS allotted 2 slots to Eritrea for the year 2019-20.
  • A total of 25 slots were used for a special customised eight-week training programme on the promotion of Basket and Mat Weaving Artisan Enterprises at the National Institute of Mirco, Small and Medium Enterprises, Hyderabad, from 14 May 2018 to 6 July 2018.
  • One Eritrean diplomat attended the 69th PCFD organised by the SSIFS of MEA, New Delhi, from 3 to 28 October 2022.
  • From 17-28 April 2023, 10 Foreign Service Officers from Eritrea attended the 1st Special Course for Diplomats from Eritrea and Zambia, organised by the SSIFS.
  • A special course for Eritrean nationals on "Cyber Security and Malware Analytics" was conducted by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, Delhi, from 15.01.2024 to 09.02.2024 under the ITEC Programme.
  • An official from the Eritrean Ministry of Foreign Affairs attended the 2nd Global South Young Diplomats Forum (GSYDF) at the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service (SSIFS) in September 2024.
  • Ten Foreign Service Officers from Eritrea attended the 1st Special Course for Diplomats from North & East African Countries, organised by the SSIFS in August 2025.

Food aid

India had earlier provided 150 metric tonnes of wheat and 20 metric tonnes of sugar to Eritrea as relief assistance, and in 2003 it donated 50 metric tonnes of wheat. In November 2020, India donated food aid of 50 MT, consisting of 30 MT of white wheat flour, 10 MT of rice and 10 MT of sugar.

Agriculture

An MoU for Cooperation between the Government of Eritrea and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) was signed on 3 October 1995. In December 2000, an MoU on Cooperation on Agricultural Research and Education was signed by the Eritrean Minister of Agriculture, H.E. Mr. Arefaine Berhe, and the Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education. An MoU on Cooperation in Agriculture was signed during the visit of the Eritrean Ministers of Education and Agriculture in June 2006.

Health and tele-education

The brief states that India is a popular destination for Eritrean nationals seeking medical treatment. Health links recorded in the brief include:

  • Three doctors from Eritrea attended mid-career specialised training courses at Apollo Hospital in New Delhi from 21 August to 20 September 2017.
  • A 5-Member delegation led by Prof. Randeep Guleria, Director, AIIMS, visited Eritrea from 26-29 January 2020.
  • A 3 member delegation from Artemis Hospital visited Eritrea on 27-28 October 2025, met officials of the Ministry of Health and visited hospitals to explore the possibility of visits by specialists from India to treat patients in Eritrea. As of April 2026, the two sides were discussing an MoU on this.

The Government of India's Pan-African e-network project for Eritrea was inaugurated in August 2010, and two special lectures under the project were screened at the Orotta National Referral Hospital in Asmara in May and July 2012. On 7 November 2019, Eritrea signed an MoU in New Delhi and became a partner country of the eVidyaBharatieArogyaBharati (eVBAB) Network Project of India.

Solar energy and wildlife conservation

On 31 October 2019, Eritrea signed the Framework Agreement of the International Solar Alliance (FA-ISA) at its second Assembly in New Delhi. As of April 2026, ratification of the agreement by Eritrea was pending.

Eritrea signed the Framework Agreement on the Establishment of International Big Cat Alliance in October 2025 and ratified it in December 2025. The brief states that this will pave the way for strengthening bilateral relations in wildlife conservation and the environment.

UN peacekeeping and naval visits

More than 1500 Indian troops served in the UN Mission for Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), deployed in both countries until February 2007. Maj. Gen. Rajender Singh led UNMEE as its Force Commander from 2004-2006. Over the life of the mission, the Indian medical battalion attended to some 17,000 medical cases, and the Indian contingent also assisted in drilling wells and building roads and dams. Most of the remaining peacekeepers were withdrawn in February 2009, and later that year the UN Security Council voted unanimously to end the mission.

INS Trikand made an Operational Turnaround (OTR) visit to Massawa Port on 25-27 September 2021. The 1st Training Squadron, comprising Indian Naval Ships Tir and Sujata and ICGS Sarathi, made a port call at Massawa on 23-25 April 2022, interacted with Eritrean naval counterparts and gave on-board training to Eritrean naval personnel.

Trade

The brief gives the following bilateral trade figures, in US $ mn:

  • 2023-24: exports from India to Eritrea 10.05, imports from Eritrea 0, total 10.05, growth -44%
  • 2024-25: exports from India to Eritrea 19.00, imports from Eritrea 0, total 19.00, growth 88.99%

Major items of export from India to Eritrea are cane and beet sugar, sugar confectioneries, pharmaceuticals, rubber, rice and fabric yarn. The brief notes that Eritrea has good reserves of potash, copper and other minerals, and states that there is a vast untapped potential for increasing bilateral trade.

Eritrea is on the list of countries to which India has extended unilateral Duty-Free Tariff Preferential (DFTP) market access. A delegation led by the Eritrean Finance Minister took part in the annual African Development Bank Board meeting in Ahmedabad in May 2017. A 13-member delegation led by the Special Advisor to the Minister of Agriculture took part in "World Food India, 2025", organised by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries in New Delhi on 25-28 September 2025.