• India and Namibia signed MoUs in disaster resilience, cybersecurity, education, health, and entrepreneurship.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted cooperation in energy, defense, and critical minerals.

• Bilateral trade hit $654 million in 2023, with expanding ties in oil, mining, and investment.

India and Namibia maintain strong political, economic, cultural, and military ties. On July 9, during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official visit to Namibia, the two countries signed several memorandums of understanding. These agreements aim to deepen bilateral cooperation.

The deals cover disaster resilience through the Coalition for Resilient Infrastructure, cybersecurity, higher education, and health. They also include creating an Entrepreneurship Development Center in Namibia.

Modi highlighted, “Cooperation in areas such as digital technology, defence, security, agriculture, healthcare, education and critical minerals figured prominently in our discussions. We also discussed how to boost linkages in trade, energy and petrochemicals.”

India’s support for Namibia goes back to its independence struggle. New Delhi provided 1,000 tons of rice during droughts in 2017 and 2019. It also donated 30,000 doses of the Covishield vaccine in March 2021 to help fight COVID-19.

The two countries also foster dynamic cultural exchanges. They explore partnerships in mining, energy, and investment. In 2022, India began talks to secure part of Namibia’s future oil production. Bilateral trade between the two nations reached $654 million in 2023, according to India’s Ministry of External Affairs. 

This new cooperation fits India’s broader strategy to expand economic, energy, and strategic partnerships across Africa.

This article was initially published in French by Ingrid Haffiny (intern)

Edited in English by Ange Jason Quenum