Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: India and Namibia have agreed to strengthen bilateral trade beyond a raw-material-based composition towards value addition, set up investment focal points and new working groups on pharmaceuticals and services at a two-day meeting between official delegations of the two countries.
The two countries also identified structured cooperation across exploration, offtake, processing and downstream beneficiation of critical minerals such as lithium, graphite, copper, cobalt, and rare earth elements, in line with Namibia’s priorities of value addition and local employment creation.
The two sides have designated Invest India and the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board as Joint Trade Committee (JTC) investment focal points, with a named official on each side, according to an official statement issued after the meeting.
Closer cooperation has been identified in railways and rolling stock, solar and wind power, battery storage, transmission, green hydrogen, biofuels, and desalination.
A dedicated Services Working Group will also be constituted, which will meet no later than February 2027 and submit its work plan to the JTC.
Namibian participation has been invited in India’s Special Notified Zones at Surat and Mumbai and in the India Rough Gemstones Sourcing Show, together with training support in diamond cutting, polishing and jewellery design.
The first Joint Working Group under the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Field of Health and Medicine will be convened by December 2026, while the Janaushadhi cooperation agreement with HLL Lifecare Limited is at an advanced stage of finalisation.
