India has recently gifted 100 nautical charts to Kenya, a product of a cooperative survey between the two countries’ navies. This effort was focused around the coastal area near the Lamu Archipelago and led by the Indian Navy’s National Hydrography Office.
Understanding Kenya: Key Points
Kenya is situated in East Africa and features diverse geographical characteristics from its coastal plain along the Indian Ocean to mountains and plateaus in the middle. These features make it an important trade gateway for entities from across Africa and the Middle East, fostering a multicultural atmosphere with numerous ethnic groups and languages.
Scientists hypothesize that Northern Kenya and Tanzania could have been the birthplace of the first humans. This theory is supported by the discovery of remains of early human ancestors in Kenya’s Turkana Basin. The world’s largest desert lake, Lake Turkana is part of the Omo-Turkana basin, which extends into Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, and Uganda. Additionally, UN-Habitat maintains its headquarters at the United Nations Office in Nairobi, Kenya.
India and Kenya: A Historical Connection
India and Kenya share robust ties tracing back to the vibrant past of spice trade. Apart from being a maritime neighbor, Kenya plays an influential role in the geopolitics of the Western Indian Ocean. Also, India has a deep-rooted relationship with the African Union, a group where Kenya is an active member.
The Kenyan government recognized the Indian descent as the 44th tribe in the nation in 2017. As an extension of this close association, 14 Kenyan personnel have taken part in courses at the National Institute of Hydrography, Goa under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) scheme.
An Overview of the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme
The ITEC program is the Ministry Of External Affairs, Government of India’s foremost platform for capacity building. Launched in 1964, it is among the oldest institutional arrangements for international capacity expansion, having trained over 200,000 officials from more than 160 countries in both civilian and defense sectors.
Annually, the ITEC program provides nearly 10,000 fully-funded in-person training opportunities via approximately 400 courses at over 100 distinguished institutes in India. This initiative has been essential for fostering collaborations with other countries and nurturing a cooperative atmosphere.
The recent handing over of nautical charts to Kenya is yet another marker in the countries’ mutually beneficial relationship, signalling their commitment to enhancing maritime collaboration and strengthening bonds. The act also denotes India’s crucial role as a reliable partner in the Indian Ocean region, fostering an atmosphere of cooperative security and growth.
