India offers support to Namibia for SME development

Union Minister for Commerce & Industry, Anand Sharma, with the Prime Minister of Namibia, Dr. Hage Geingob, in Windhoek on February 05, 2014.

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SME Times News Bureau | 06 Feb, 2014
India and Namibia, which saw a whopping 259 percent rise in bilateral trade to US$ 233.62 million in 2013 against US$ 65.03 million in 2012, have agreed to expand cooperation in a number of areas, including the small and medium enterprise sectors between the two countries.

In a meeting with Namibian Prime Minister Dr. Hage Geingob, India's trade minister Anand Sharma, who was on a two-day visit to Namibia from February 4, offered to set up an SME Skill Centre in Namibia, for which National Small Industries Corporation will be the designated agency.

India has offered to provide Buyer's Credit of US$ 100 million to Namibia for taking up infrastructure projects. This will be in addition to the US$ 100 million Lines of Credit which India had offered during the State visit of the President of Namibia to India in 2009.

During his visit he called on Mr. Hifikepunye Pohamba, President of Namibia and Dr. Hage Geingob, Prime Minister of Namibia. He also had bilateral meetings with Mr. Carl H.G. Schlettwein, Minister of Trade and Industry, Namibia, Ms. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Foreign Minister of Namibia and Mr. Joel Kaapanda, Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Namibia.

The Prime Minister appreciated the important role being played by the ITEC programme in enhancing human resource development of the Namibian participants. In order to provide specialized training to trade negotiators from Namibia Sharma offered to organize a dedicated course for 60 participants at the Centre for WTO Studies in Indian Institute of Foreign Trade. Dr. Geingob renewed the offer for supply of Uranium to India.

Earlier, in his bilateral meeting with Mr. Carl H.G. Schlettwein, post-Bali work programme was discussed. Mr. Schlettwein acknowledged India's key role in achieving a positive outcome on the issue of food security. Sharma thanked Namibia and other countries of Africa for the support provided in achieving the food security package for the developing countries.

India conveyed to Namibia its commitment to be a close partner for achieving the goals of the development agenda being pursued by Namibia.

While drawing attention to the important role being played by the India-Africa Forum Summits, Sharma conveyed that it had been decided to set up an ICT Training Institute and an Entrepreneurship Development Centre in Namibia. It was agreed to speed up the setting up of these institutions.

Sharma also expressed with great satisfaction the 259% growth in trade for the year 2013 as compared to 2012, with Namibia. While the total trade between India and Namibia was US$ 65.03 million in 2012, it rose to US$ 233.62 million in 2013.

India's top items of exports to Namibia are drugs, pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals, transport equipments, electronic goods, miscellaneous processed items, manufactures of metals, rice (other than Basmati), marine products, plastic & linoleum products, meat and preparations etc.

On the other hand, major items imported by India from Namibia are metalifers ores and metal scrap, non-metallic minerals manufactures except pearls, pearls, precious, semi-precious stones, electronic goods, machinery except electronic and electric, petroleum, crude and products, leather, medicinal & pharmaceutical products, etc.

The progress of India- Southern African Customs Union (SACU) Preferential Trade Agreement negotiations was also discussed between the two Ministers. Both sides agreed that there was need to come to an early conclusion. This was necessary so that the India-SACU – MERCOSUR trilateral could be concluded.

Sharma concluded his two nation tour to Zimbabwe and Namibia with his meetings with President of Namibia and Prime Minister of Namibia.