India and Namibia today signed four Agreements/Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) and held discussions for strengthening cooperation in areas including Defence, security, digital technology, agriculture, healthcare, education and critical minerals among other things.
The four MOUs/Agreements signed include MoU on setting up of Entrepreneurship Development Center in Namibia, ?MoU on Cooperation in the field of Health and Medicine, Letter of acceptance for Namibia’s joining of CDRI and ?Letter of acceptance for Namibia’s joining of Global Biofuels Alliance.
The agreements were signed by External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar in the presence of the Prime Minister Modi and the Namibian President after delegation-level talks between the two leaders in the Namibian capital Windhoek.
The Prime Minister is on a day-long visit to Namibia on the final leg of his five-nation tour.
”President Dr. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah and I reviewed the full range of India-Namibia relations during our talks today. Cooperation in areas such as digital technology, defence, security, agriculture, healthcare, education and critical minerals figured prominently in our discussions,” the Prime Minister tweeted.
“We also discussed how to boost linkages in trade, energy and petrochemicals,” the Prime Minister added.
The Prime Minister was also given Namibia’s Highest Civilian Award ‘Order of the Most Ancient Welwitschia Mirabilis.’ The award was established in 1995, shortly after Namibia gained independence in 1990, to recognise distinguished service and leadership.
Named after the Welwitschia Mirabilis, a unique and ancient desert plant endemic to Namibia, the order symbolises resilience, longevity and the enduring spirit of the Namibian people.
This is the 27th award for Prime Minister Modi and fourth award in this ongoing tour.
Prime Minister Modi also announced launching of Digital Payments System in Namibia later this year as an outcome of the signing of the UPI technology licensing agreement between NPCI and Bank of Namibia in April 2024.
He expressed gratitude for assistance from Namibia in Project Cheetah and said the number of Cheetahs had gone up to 12 from eight and said he would welcome cooperation by Namibia in the Phase 2 of Project Cheetah.
Earlier the Prime Minister Narendra arrived in Windhoek on the final leg of his five-nation tour describing Namibia as a ”valued and trusted partner” in Africa with whom India seeks to boost bilateral cooperation.
This is the first visit of Prime Minister Modi to Namibia and the third-ever Prime Ministerial visit from India to the sub-Saharan African country.
The Prime Minister was received by Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, Minister of International Relations and Trade of Namibia, at the airport, and accorded a traditional welcome on his arrival.
“Landed in Windhoek a short while ago. Namibia is a valued and trusted African partner with whom we seek to boost bilateral cooperation. Looking forward to meeting President Dr Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah and addressing the Namibian Parliament today,” PM Modi posted on X.
The Prime Minister was given a warm welcome by the Indian diaspora and said the Indian community in Namibia is extremely optimistic about closer India-Namibia friendship and this was reflected in the special welcome in Windhoek.
“I am extremely proud of our diaspora, particularly the manner in which they have retained a connect with their culture and traditions,” the Prime Minister said.
Earlier the Prime Minister, who arrived here after concluding a two-day State visit to Brasilia and attended the BRICS Summit at Rio de Janeiro, thanked Brazilian President Lula da Silva and the people of Brazil for their kindness throughout the visit.
