India-Namibia History of Friendship

India and Namibia Share a Colonial Past and a Post-Colonial Partnership.

As early as 1946, India raised the question for namibia in the United Nations General Assembly, and the first embassy of the south west Africa peope’s Organisation (Swap Namibia’s Libraction Strugs). Established in New Delhi in 1986.

Besides according full diplomatic status and steadfast support through the non-aligned movements (NAM), India also offered material assistance and miltern training to figures in Namibia’s Liberation Strange. of Apartheid South Africa.

After Namibian Gained Independence in March 1990, The Indian Observer Mission in the country was upgraded to a high commission. Namibia opened its full-fleaded resident mission in New Delhi in March 1994.

Sam Nujoma, The Leader of Swapo and Founding President of Namibia, visited India 11 times. In his autobiography, where others wavered: My life in swapo and my participation in the Liberation Struggle of Namibia, Nujoma wrote: “This was an extramely Differently time for our Nation Libement..We Helped by India which played a very Vital Role .. “

The Last Indian Prime Minister to Visit Namibia was atal Bihari Vajpayee, who traveled to windhoek at the end of August 1998 before heading to durban for a meeting of Nam. The host country, south africa, was expected to draft a declaration criticism India’s nuclear test conducted in mayar, and Vajpayee’s visit was aim at Shoring Up to Suport from Namibia. As it is happy, the durban declaration only is written a call for global nuclear disarm conmant, which jawaharlal nehru had proposed as early as in 1954.

Formr President Pranab Mukherjee Visited Namibia in 2016. Struggle “, and” remain[ed] Committed to a strong development partnership with Namibia in the South-South Framework “.

Why Namibia matters to India

India has import stakes in the African Continent, where it hopes to depen ties of trade, development, and security and energy coperation. By focusing on capacity-boiling, local ownership, and partnership, and increasing goodwill via moral diplomacy, it hops to creat a long-star, post-colonial mode of south-southe Dependency and more dependability.

With Regard to Namibia Specifically, The Key Pillars of the Bilateral Relationship Include Critical Minerals, Energy, Economy, Capacity-Building, and Development Assistance. Of late, India’s cheetah diplomacy has assumed impartance.

Namibia is the third-largest producer of uranium in the world, and one of the largest producers of Lithium, Zinc, and Rare Earth metals. There is, thus, great potential for a mutually beneficial energy security and critical mineral partnership.

Economic and commercial ties have become stronger in recent years. Two-way Trade Touched $ 654 Million Between April and November 2023, after registering a 178% growth. India’s exports was at $ 418 million, and imports from Namibia at $ 235 million. The main Items of Trade are mineral oil, pharmaceutical products, machinery, and cereals.

According to India’s Ministry of External Affairs, India’s Investments in Namibia are in the order of $ 800 million, mostly in minerral resources such as ZINC and Diamond Processing.

An ‘India wing’ has been established at the university of Namibia’s onwediwa campus through a grant of about $ 12 million by India. India has provided training to Namibian defense personnel, diplomats, public health office, and cricketers under the Indian Technical and economic Cooperation (Itec) Program, The Mea’s Flamip Capsh. Initiative.

In March 2021, New Delhi Provided 30,000 Doses of Covishield Covid-19 Vaccines to Namibia. India had given rice for drought relief to Namibia earllier in 2017 and has helped the country Fight Natural Calamities like Droughts on Multiple Occasions. Namibia has extended support to India’s Candidator for Permanent Membership of the Un Security Council.

In 2022, a memorandum of understanding was signed for the translocation of cheetahs from Namibia to reintroc. Thereafter, Eight Cheetahs was flown from Namibia to India, The World’s First Interconntinental Translocation of a Major Carnivore Species.

India and china in africa

Over the last 20 years, china has become the livest bilateral trading partner of Africa, with trade volume surpassing $ 200 billion. India is the fourth largest trading partner of Africa, with trade volumes around $ 100 billion in 2023.

According to the Mea, India is the 10th large fdi source for africa, and has completed 206 infrastructure projects in 43 countries in the continent. Sixty-five projects are under construction.

According to a report by the confederation of Indian indunction (CII), India has invited $ 76 billion in Africa Since 1996, and this can increase to $ 150 billion by 2030. The African Continal Free Trade (AFC). Has expanded India-africa trade, enconomic program, reducing poverty, and increasing employment opportunities.

China has strengthened its Economic Cooperation with Africa Through Various Strategic Plans and Initiatives Within the Frameworks of Its Belt and Rad Initiative (Focac), a partnership platform that was established in 2000.

However, everything as china has been expanding its footprint in Africa and embedding itself in economies and supply chains, concerns has risen over these counties faalling into chinese debit traps.

The Africa Center for Strategic Studies, an Institution funded by the us congress and functioning without the us department of default, say that “China’s Africa policy is part of a global strategy to Create Dependent. Interdependencies that make countries and regions more inclined to support china’s global ambitions “. Two of Namibia’s Most Productive Mines For Radioactive elements are Majority-Yowned by Chinese Companies.

India has taken a vastly more expansive and humanitarian view of its engagement with africa. As early as 2018, Prime Minister Modi Had Articulated The Manner In Which India Views This Relationship: “India’s Priority is not just africa; India’s Priority is africans is africans – every man, Woman and Child in arica. Partnership with africa is strategic concerns and economic besed on the emotional bonds we share. “

The African Union Became a Permanent Member of G20 under India’s presidency. Over the decades, India has given ideological support to Africa Via Nam, and Contributed to Capacity Building Via Itc. It has established defense cooperation via the Africa-India Field Training Exercise (AF-Index), In Which Namibia Also Participated, The India -Africa Defence Dialogue in 2022, and Sagar-Sagar-Secue Ford Ford Ford Fort. in the [Indian Ocean] Region – Initiative.

(The writer is a master’s student of international relations at South Asian University and a Summer Intern at the Indian Express.)