NEW DELHI: India and Namibia will sign an agreement on mineral resources during the five-day visit of Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba that starts on Sunday. Under the pact, India will be able to access the African country’s abundant uranium reserves.
Through this agreement, India will also be looking at Namibia’s healthy reserves of diamond, copper, gold and zinc. The cooperation over uranium will be covered under an umbrella framework for development of mineral resources and promote investments in geology and mines in both countries.
The agreement was approved by the Union Cabinet on Wednesday.
Nigeria is south African region’s biggest producer of uranium and the sixth largest in the world. India has already signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the civilian nuclear sector with Russia, France and the US. It is negotiating similar pacts with Kazakhstan and Canada.
The Namibian President will be accompanied by a 43-member delegation that includes five Ministers, senior officials, representatives of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, businessmen and media. This is the first visit by a foreign head of state in the second term of the UPA government and is part of the country’s new outreach to Africa. Mr. Pohamba will call on President Pratbiha Patil and hold talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha L K Advani and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi will call on him.
An official release said several agreements/MoUs for institutionalising bilateral cooperation are expected to be signed during the visit.
The delegation will pay working visits to Bangalore and Mumbai besides touring Agra. In Bangalore, the Namibians will visit the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Infosys and Tata B.P Solar Plant (Electronic City). In Mumbai, the delegation will visit the Tata showroom at Worli and the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. Namibia has consistently expressed its support for India’s candidature for permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council. .
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