Windhoek (Namibia): India seeks to boost bilateral cooperation with Namibia, which is a “valued and trusted partner” in Africa, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday as he arrived here on the final leg of his five-nation visit.
This is the first visit of Prime Minister Modi to Namibia and the third-ever Prime Ministerial visit from India to the country.
The Prime Minister was received by Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, Minister of International Relations and Trade of Namibia, at the airport. He was accorded a traditional welcome on his arrival here.
Some key deals to watch include LNG contracts from Trinidad and Tobago, uranium and critical mineral deals from Namibia, and positioning Indian fintech and services to enter West Africa through Ghana. The tour will then move to Argentina and Brazil, but more on that later.
The Ghana leg of the trip has already concluded, and the Prime Minister is now en route to Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean.
Each nation, before landing on the Latin American mainland, holds significant importance.
Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Ghana, the first by an Indian premier in over three decades, represents a calculated move to establish a strategic beachhead in West Africa. The agreements inked in Accra are foundational, aiming to position India not merely as a trading partner but as an indispensable force in the region’s digital and developmental future. Ghana is being cultivated as a crucial launchpad for Indian commercial and technological influence into the wider Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The immediate deliverables are clear. Four Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) covering culture, standards, traditional medicine, and a Joint Commission lay the institutional groundwork for deeper engagement. More significantly, however, is the stated ambition to double bilateral trade from its current level of approximately USD 3 billion within five years.
At the heart of this push is India’s readiness to share its UPI technology. It represents the vanguard of India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) diplomacy, which has been offered to Ghana — a powerful tool to embed Indian systems into the core of emerging economies and create long-term dependencies and partnerships.
Beyond the immediate trade and tech push, the visit laid the groundwork for deeper strategic cooperation. Discussions on establishing a vaccine manufacturing hub, with support from Indian entrepreneurs, signal an intent to make Ghana a centre for regional health security, backed by India’s formidable pharmaceutical capacity.
Similarly, commitments to cooperate in the exploration of critical minerals and enhance defence ties underscore a comprehensive strategy. India is positioning itself as a provider of capital, technology, and security — a holistic partnership designed to supplant other global players and solidify its role as a leading partner for the Global South.
As India’s economy expands, energy demand becomes increasingly acute, rendering its security intrinsically linked to stable, diversified sources. The visit to Trinidad and Tobago must be viewed through this lens of strategic necessity. While current bilateral trade is a modest USD 341 million, the true objective transcends this figure. As a significant producer of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and a stable democracy in the Americas, Trinidad and Tobago represents a vital opportunity for India to de-risk its energy portfolio.
The primary strategic prize on the table is a long-term LNG supply agreement. Securing such a contract would provide a reliable energy corridor, reducing India’s over-exposure to supply chains from more geopolitically volatile regions.
For a nation that imports the vast majority of its energy, locking in supplies from a partner located far from traditional flashpoints is a critical component of national security. The talks on energy cooperation are therefore not routine diplomatic dialogue; they are central to fuelling India’s continued economic ascent.
Profound soft power advantages buttress this hard-nosed strategic pursuit. The visit, coinciding with the 180th anniversary of the arrival of Indian indentured labourers, carries immense symbolic weight as well.
The island nation’s population is 40–45 per cent of Indian origin, with its President and Prime Minister both proudly acknowledging their Indian heritage. There is a deep, historical connection that provides a foundation of trust and cultural affinity, facilitating complex commercial negotiations.
The final leg of this initial tour, Namibia, is arguably the most critical from a resource security perspective. The agenda here is direct and unambiguous: securing access to the building blocks of both the nuclear and green energy revolutions. With bilateral trade of USD 650 million already driven by diamonds, the aim is to move beyond existing commerce into a strategic partnership that will power India’s industrial and technological future for decades to come.
The primary focus is on uranium. As a major global producer, Namibia is a natural partner for India’s civilian nuclear energy programme. Efforts to finalise a long-term uranium supply agreement are paramount. This would provide the fuel needed to expand India’s nuclear power generation — a key pillar of its strategy to meet climate goals while ensuring baseload energy stability. Securing this supply is a non-negotiable requirement for India’s long-term energy planning.
Equally important is Namibia’s untapped potential in critical minerals. The country holds significant reserves of cobalt, lithium, and rare earth elements — essential inputs for batteries, electric vehicles, and high-technology manufacturing.
Gaining preferential access to these resources is central to the success of India’s ‘Make in India’ initiative and its ambition to become a global manufacturing hub in new-age industries. Furthermore, the push to establish direct sourcing routes for Namibian diamonds would disrupt the traditional trade flows through Antwerp and London, capturing significantly more value for India’s world-leading diamond processing industry. The parallel agreement to expand UPI in Namibia demonstrates a multi-pronged approach, using digital integration to cement a strategic resource partnership that is vital for India’s future.
