NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah on Wednesday explored ways to strengthen ties in defence, trade and digital technology, with the two sides announcing the African nation will soon roll out a digital payments system based on India’s Unified Payment Interface (UPI).
Namibia was the final destination of a five-nation tour that also took Modi to Brazil to attend the Brics Summit in Rio de Janeiro. He is the first Indian premier to visit the country in 27 years.
After a ceremonial reception at the State House in Windhoek, Modi held discussions with Nandi-Ndaitwah on strengthening cooperation in defence, maritime security, digital technology and UPI, agriculture, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, energy and critical minerals.
“Expressing satisfaction with the growth in bilateral trade, the leaders noted that full potential on this account was still to be tapped,” the external affairs ministry said. In this context, Modi and Nandi-Ndaitwah called for expediting discussions on a preferential trade agreement between India and the Southern African Customs Union (SACU).
In April 2024, Namibia became the first country to sign a licensing agreement to adopt the UPI system for real-time digital payments. The agreement between NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) and the Bank of Namibia will lead to rollout of the payments system in September.
{{/usCountry}}In April 2024, Namibia became the first country to sign a licensing agreement to adopt the UPI system for real-time digital payments. The agreement between NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) and the Bank of Namibia will lead to rollout of the payments system in September.
{{/usCountry}}Trade between India and Namibia has witnessed steady growth, increasing from less than $3 million in 2000 to nearly $600 million. Indian firms have invested in Namibia in mining, manufacturing, diamond processing and services.
Defence cooperation too has grown, with Indian Navy warships regularly making goodwill visits to the Walvis Bay port in Namibia. Teams from the Indian Army and Indian Air Force are deployed in Namibia to train Namibian defence personnel.
Modi told Nandi-Ndaitwah that India will scale up development cooperation through capacity-building programmes for Namibian experts and partnerships for setting up manufacturing facilities in Namibia. He offered India’s support for development projects in agriculture, IT, cybersecurity, healthcare, education, women’s empowerment and child welfare.
He also thanked Nandi-Ndaitwah for Namibia’s support for India’s cheetah conservation project, and invited the African nation to join the International Big Cat Alliance.
As part of India’s action plan to reintroduce cheetahs into the wild, eight cheetahs were translocated from Namibia and released at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh in September 2022.
The two leaders also discussed global issues, and Modi thanked Namibia for its support and solidarity with the people of India after the Pahalgam terror attack. “They agreed to strengthen the global fight against terrorism. They also committed to work together to amplify the voice of the Global South,” the external affairs ministry said.
The two sides finalised two memorandum of understanding (MoUs) for cooperation in health and entrepreneurship development. Namibia also announced it has joined the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure and Global Biofuels Alliance.
Modi paid tribute to Namibia’s founding father Sam Nujoma at the Heroes’ Acre memorial. Nujoma led Namibia to independence in 1990 and served as its first president for 15 years.
The external affairs ministry said Nujoma was a “great friend of India” whose legacy continues to inspire people across the world.