Goods trade between India and Namibia reached $592.94 million in 2025-2026, up from $568.40 million in the previous fiscal year. The two countries now aim to move beyond a relationship based on raw materials, focusing on local value addition in Namibia, pharmaceuticals, critical minerals, digital, and infrastructure, with mechanisms including defined schedules and responsibilities.
This direction was established during the fourth session of the India-Namibia Joint Trade Committee, held on August 10 and 11, 2026 in New Delhi, which concluded with the signing of the minutes agreed upon by the two co-chairs. The Indian delegation was led by Amit Kumar, Deputy Secretary at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and the Namibian delegation by Ndiitah Nghipondoka-Robiati, Executive Director at the Ministry of International Relations and Trade.
In 2025-2026, Indian exports to Namibia reached $349.09 million, with imports at $243.85 million. In services, trade increased by 7.34%, reaching $380 million in the 2024 calendar year. Indian exports of engineering products surged by 124.06%, to $30.24 million, driven mainly by vehicles and their components.
Indian exports of pharmaceuticals and medical devices reached $36.50 million, making India Namibia’s second-largest supplier with 16.4% market share. The first joint working group envisaged by the memorandum of understanding on cooperation in health and medicine is set to meet by December 2026, while the agreement on the “Janaushadhi” initiative, concluded with HLL Lifecare Limited, is in an advanced stage of finalization.
Critical minerals, digital, and infrastructure
Critical minerals are another strategic focus: India and Namibia aim to develop structured cooperation on lithium, graphite, copper, cobalt, and rare earths, covering exploration, extraction, processing, and downstream value addition, in line with Namibia’s priorities of creating value and local jobs. In the digital sphere, the two countries discussed “WayaMe,” the Namibian instant payment system based on the Indian UPI, unveiled on June 15, 2026, as well as a FinTech cooperation framework project between the Reserve Bank of India and the Bank of Namibia.
Cooperation is also set to encompass infrastructure and energy—railways and rolling stock, solar, wind, battery storage, electrical grids, green hydrogen, biofuels, and desalination. New Delhi and Windhoek have also finalized the terms of the preferential trade agreement between India and the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), signed on August 12, 2026; negotiations are set to begin within a month of this signing and conclude within a year. Agriculture and food security, SMEs, textiles, tourism, sports, and jewelry are also among the sectors identified. The fifth session of the Joint Committee will be held in Namibia in 2028.
