An era of mineral plus digital diplomacy

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Namibia on 9th July 2025, it was considered a visit that carried more weight than it showed. He became the first prime minister to do so in the last three decades, and the timing could have never been better than this. China’s increasing arc in Africa and tightening supply chain environment warranted India to act quickly, and India’s prime minister carried these ambitions with himself when he landed in Windhoek’s parliament. Modi received a stirring reception “Modi, Modi!” chants and a standing ovation, underscoring not just diplomatic warmth but also a collective aspiration for strengthened ties. 

PM Modi also paid homage to Dr. Sam Nujoma, Namibia’s founding president, highlighting India’s early support for Namibia’s liberation. In his speech he emphasised shared democratic values, South-South cooperation, and mutual trust built over decades. 

Strategic autonomy and supply chain resilience

What truly defined this visit was its strategic importance. Those who care about international relations could see that from parliament to private discussions in the state house, the visit focused on Namibia’s wealth, which includes uranium. Diamonds. Lithium, cobalt, rare earth, copper, and much more. Namibia ranks as the world’s top producer and supplier of uranium. It accounts for roughly around 11% of the global output of uranium, with emerging mining sites. For India, diversifying its uranium imports is necessary for increasing clean energy requirements and for timely fulfilment of Paris Climate Agreement commitments. Modi’s talks revived long-stalemated supply-agreement negotiations, offering Namibia a stable export market while fortifying India’s nuclear fuel chain.

Apart from uranium, Namibia’s vast repository of rare earth metals makes it a focus point of great powers. India’s Make in India mission and Aatmanirbharta in manufacturing and defence could not be successful without securing a continued supply of rare earth metals. China’s inconsistent approach and weaponisation of rare earth materials is a cause of concern for various major powers, including India. Namibia is emerging as a rich source of these resources; India’s MOUs aimed to facilitate joint exploration, mining, and technology transfer partnerships that alleviate reliance on concentrated supply chains, most notably China’s near-monopolies. 

At the recently concluded BRICS Summit in Rio, PM Modi underscored the strategic risk of “weaponising” the critical minerals supply, indirectly indicating against the monopoly practices by any nation. India is currently developing a multi-layered mineral security strategy through parallel tracks. The Quad’s Critical Minerals Initiative and the National Critical Minerals Mission (NCMM), backed by aggressive domestic auctions of exploration blocks, are all elements of India’s grand mineral strategy. They aim to diversify supply, bring transparency, accelerate exploration, and integrate private-sector innovation into what has historically been a resource-constrained domain.

Digital diplomacy and economic diversification

Apart from mineral diplomacy, India is also mindful of China’s staggering intervention in African digital and physical infrastructure development. India has offered its Unified Payment Interface (UPI) facilities to many African countries to counter China’s influence and make room for itself. PM Modi said that “People will be able to send money faster than they can say Tangi Unene” on Namibia’s adopting of UPI. Modi’s visit to also heralded a new face of India-Namibia cooperation rooted in digital public infrastructure offering financial inclusivity and technological connectivity.  

The bilateral trade between India and Namibia has surged yet underperforming. The economic interaction has seen a upward trajectory from approximately US $80 million in 2008–09 to over US $650–814 million by 2023–24, with Indian investments—particularly in mining, diamonds, pharmaceuticals, rice, fuels—standing at about US $800 million. The new mineral and digital cooperation could significantly expand trade volumes and deepen investment flows. Additionally, India is also eyeing the rerouting of Namibia’s diamond exports by cutting out intermediaries. India currently buys some 80 million carats of diamonds through Antwerp or London. By direct import, India is looking to generate more value for both parties. 

Additionally, India and Namibia cooperation percolates to different domains of people to people connect. India’s ITEC and capacity building are particularly popular in Namibia. There are robust defence ties between India and Namibia including Air Force technical training since 1995 which reinforce goodwill. 

Namibia’s membership in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) enhances its role as a strategic gateway to Southern Africa, offering India access to broader regional trade and mineral corridors through infrastructure like the Walvis Bay Corridor. PM Modi’s visit was watched closely by regional heavyweights like South Africa and Botswana, both dominant in the global diamond and critical minerals trade. Botswana’s recent push for local beneficiation in its deal with De Beers and South Africa’s sensitivity to external players reflect growing regional assertiveness over resource sovereignty. India, aware of these dynamics, is positioning itself as a responsible partner. 

Its mining collaborations increasingly emphasise environmental safeguards, adherence to international sustainability norms such as OECD guidelines and IRMA standards, and a commitment to green mining practices, signalling an intent to balance strategic resource access with long-term ecological and community considerations. 

Conclusion

PM Modi’s visit to Namibia should not be seen as an isolated visit; rather, it’s a part of India’s grand vision for securing critical minerals and advancing the clean energy agenda. This visit also gave India an opportunity to present itself as a developmental partner to Africa, expanding digital governance and strengthening economic and cultural ties. If carefully executed, this model of mineral-plus-digital diplomacy could become a template for future India–Africa engagements, enhancing India’s global weight, uplifting Namibian industries, and rebalancing resource geopolitics away from dependency toward partnership.

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