India signs 4 pacts with Namibia on energy, health

Windhoek: India and Namibia on Wednesday signed four agreements to bolster bilateral cooperation in several areas, including energy and healthcare, following talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah.

Modi, who arrived here from Brazil on the final leg of his five-nation tour, held delegation-level talks with Nandi-Ndaitwah at the State House here. After the talks, the two sides inked four agreements in a range of sectors, including health and medicine, biofuels and disaster resilient.

Modi said India-Namibia relations will shine like a diamond while drawing a glittering parallel between the two nations' strengths in the diamond industry. Modi highlighted that India and Namibia have stood by each other since the time of their freedom struggle.

"Namibia is one of the world's largest diamond producers and India has the largest diamond polishing industry, that too in my home state, Gujarat."

“I am confident that in the coming times our partnership will also shine like these diamonds,” Modi said.

This is the first visit of Prime Minister Modi to Namibia and the third-ever by an Indian Prime Minister to the country. Modi, who is here at the invitation of President Nandi-Ndaitwah, has described Namibia as a “valued and trusted partner” in Africa. Earlier, Prime Minister Modi received a ceremonial welcome and a guard of honour at State House. He also received a 21-gun salute.

There was also an announcement on the launching of digital payments system in Namibia later this year as an outcome of the signing of the UPI technology licensing agreement between NPCI (National Payments Corporation of India) and Bank of Namibia in April last year.

Namibia has also joined the India-backed CDRI (Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure) and the Global Biofuels Alliance. CDRI is dedicated to enhancing the resilience of infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks. It includes national governments, international organizations, and the private sector. During the delegation-level talks, the two leaders reviewed the full range of India-Namibia relations. “Cooperation in areas such as digital technology, defence, security, agriculture, healthcare, education and critical minerals figured prominently in our discussions,” Modi said in a post on social media after the meeting. Prime Minister Modi remembered Nujoma as a visionary leader who devoted his life to the struggle for Namibia’s independence. “As the first President of free Namibia, Nujoma made inspiring contribution to the country’s nation-making. His legacy continues to inspire people across the world,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.