New Delhi, Nov 26 (IANS) India and Ethiopia, East Africa's growing economy, are set to scale up their economic and political ties when Deputy Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn comes here on a five-day visit next week.

Desalegn, also Ethiopia's foreign minister, will hold wide-ranging talks with India's External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna. He will also meet Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma during his five-day visit starting Dec 1.

"This is our first ministerial-level meeting with India. Five months back, we held expert level meetings with India and now we take a step forward in the bilateral ties with this meeting," Minister-Councillor at the Ethiopian embassy Metasabia Tadesse told IANS.

The focus of the visit will be on intensification of bilateral trade and investment.

Tadesse said the 14-member delegation, including Ethiopian ministers for trade and industry will take part in discussions pertaining to all issues of cooperation in the social, political and economic sectors of both the countries.