PM Modi Becomes 1st Head Of Government To Receive Ethiopia's Highest Award

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday was conferred with Ethiopia's highest award, 'The Great Honour Nishan of Ethiopia', by his Ethiopian counterpart Abiy Ahmed Ali.

The award was conferred upon Prime Minister Modi in a special ceremony hosted at the Addis International Convention Centre on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Modi was conferred with the award for his exceptional contribution towards strengthening India-Ethiopia partnership and for his visionary leadership as a global statesman, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement in New Delhi.

ጥልቅ የሆነውን 🇮🇳 - 🇪🇹 የሥልጣኔ ትስስር የሚያስታውስ ክብር።

ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትር @narendramodi በህንድ እና በኢትዮጵያ መካከል ያለውን የሁለትዮሽ ግንኙነት ለማጠናከር እና በራዕያዊ አመራራቸው ላበረከቱት ልዩ አስተዋጽኦ፤ በጠቅላይ ሚኒስትር ዶ/ር… pic.twitter.com/XrS5f2XWvO

— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) December 16, 2025

Prime Minister Modi is the first global head of state/head of government to receive this award.

"I'm honoured to be conferred with the 'Great Honour Nishan of Ethiopia.' I dedicate it to the 140 crore people of India," Modi posted on X.

Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Modi noted that it was an honour for him to accept the award from one of most ancient civilisations of the world, and he did so with a deep sense of humility and gratitude, the statement said.

Prime Minister Modi expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Prime Minister Abiy and the people of Ethiopia for this honour.

He also expressed appreciation for the leadership of Prime Minister Abiy and his initiatives to promote national unity, sustainability, and inclusive development, the statement said.

Underlining the salience of knowledge for nation building, Prime Minister Modi stated that it was a privilege for Indian teachers for over a century now to contribute towards Ethiopia's progress and development, it said.

Modi dedicated the award to all those - Indians and Ethiopians - who have nurtured the bilateral ties for ages and conveyed heartfelt gratitude on behalf of the 1.4 billion Indians for being bestowed with this honour, the statement said.

The conferment of the award marks a milestone in the close partnership between India and Ethiopia and in furthering the positive agenda of the Global South.