Daily Mains Question - GS 2 - 16th July 2025
- TPP
- Jul 16
- 5 min read
Welcome to your daily Mains Model Answer — crafted to help you understand India’s evolving development partnership with Namibia, a topic of growing relevance under GS Paper 2 in the International Relations section. Today’s answer critically examines how India’s engagement with Namibia is being strategically leveraged to secure access to critical minerals and promote digital public infrastructure (DPI) as part of its broader Global South outreach.
This theme connects key areas such as bilateral diplomacy, resource security, sustainable development cooperation, and South–South collaboration. It aligns with India’s global aspirations for technological sovereignty, energy transition, and geopolitical resilience, while simultaneously fostering equitable partnerships in Africa.
By drawing on recent developments including trade trends, investment flows, and digital infrastructure initiatives — as well as India's broader Africa policy — this answer explores how India–Namibia ties exemplify a pragmatic, values-driven approach to international engagement. Aspirants will gain insight into India’s strategy to balance mineral security with digital diplomacy, offering a holistic lens to write well-rounded, analytically strong answers in the UPSC Mains examination.
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QUESTION
"Critically examine India’s engagement with Namibia in the context of securing access to critical minerals and promoting digital and development partnerships in the Global South."
Answer: India’s engagement with Namibia is emblematic of its South-South development diplomacy — a strategic recalibration of its foreign policy to secure access to critical mineral value chains, green energy inputs, and digital infrastructure partnerships. Rooted in a shared post-colonial ethos and solidarity under the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), the India–Namibia relationship now represents a broader effort to reshape multipolarity in global resource geopolitics and digital governance norms.
Historical Evolution of India–Namibia Relations
India has been a long-standing advocate of Namibia’s sovereignty, having raised its independence issue at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 1946.
India extended military training, logistical support, and diplomatic legitimacy to the liberation movement against apartheid South Africa.
Diplomatic ties were formalised in 1990 and have since evolved into a multi-sectoral development partnership, emphasizing strategic autonomy, mutual respect, and non-interference.
Namibia’s Strategic Relevance to India
1. Critical Mineral Security & Strategic Autonomy
Namibia is the world’s third-largest producer of uranium, and a key source of lithium, zinc, cobalt, and rare earth elements — minerals vital for:
Clean energy transition
EV battery manufacturing
Telecommunications and semiconductor supply chains
India’s dependence on imports for 100% of its lithium and 85–90% of its rare earths makes Namibia a geo-strategic partner under India’s efforts to localize supply chains and reduce dependence on dominant market actors like China.
India’s $800 million investments in Namibia — especially in zinc and diamond processing — also support the objective of resource-backed industrial diplomacy.
2. Trade Expansion and Economic Diplomacy
Bilateral trade reached $654 million (April–November 2023) — a 178% year-on-year growth, highlighting economic complementarity.
Key Indian exports: pharmaceuticals, cereals, machinery
Key imports from Namibia: mineral oil, precious stones
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) serves as a gateway for Indian enterprises to access wider African markets through Namibia as a regional hub.
Digital Public Infrastructure & Technological Diplomacy
India’s DPI model (Aadhaar, UPI, DigiLocker) offers a replicable, low-cost framework for digital inclusion in Africa.
Namibia, with its young and increasingly urban population, is an ideal partner for implementing:
e-Governance tools
Digital identity systems
Financial inclusion models (UPI-based platforms)
This aligns with India’s vision of building a Global Digital Commons, underpinned by open-source, interoperable, and secure systems.
DPI collaborations also enhance India’s techno-strategic presence in Africa, providing a counter-narrative to surveillance-oriented models from other powers.
Development Partnership and Capacity Building
India’s approach emphasizes development partnership over aid dependence, aligning with the "demand-driven" nature of its Development Cooperation Policy.
Through the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme:
Training provided to Namibian officials in defence, diplomacy, public health, and sports administration.
A notable success includes the establishment of an ‘India Wing’ at the University of Namibia via a $12 million grant, promoting academic diplomacy.
India has extended humanitarian assistance to Namibia, including:
30,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines under Vaccine Maitri
Food aid (rice) in response to droughts in 2017 and 2019
Strategic & Defence Cooperation
Namibia is a key African participant in:
AF-INDEX (Africa–India Field Training Exercise)
India–Africa Defence Dialogue
India's SAGAR initiative (Security and Growth for All in the Region)
These engagements reinforce maritime domain awareness, peacekeeping cooperation, and regional security architecture, especially in the South Atlantic–Indian Ocean interface.
Namibia’s support for India’s permanent UNSC membership indicates converging multilateral visions.
India vs. China in Africa: Comparative Strategic Lens
Aspect | India | China |
Approach | Capacity-building, demand-driven, inclusive | Infrastructure-heavy, state-centric, often debt-linked |
Narrative | Human-centric, democratic, moral diplomacy | Strategic leverage, extractive economics |
Focus | Digital inclusion, healthcare, education | Transport, mining, logistics |
Debt Sustainability | Grants, LOCs with concessional terms | Alleged debt-trap concerns (e.g., Djibouti, Zambia) |
According to the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII):
India has invested $76 billion in Africa since 1996.
Projected to reach $150 billion by 2030.
India has completed 206 infrastructure projects in 43 countries, with 65 ongoing.
Soft Power & Cultural Diplomacy
India's cheetah translocation project — involving the transfer of 8 cheetahs from Namibia in 2022 — is the first intercontinental relocation of a large carnivore, demonstrating:
Wildlife diplomacy
Ecological cooperation
Shared conservation priorities under UN SDG-15 (Life on Land)
The initiative enhanced India's image as a climate-sensitive partner, while deepening bilateral visibility.
India’s engagement with Namibia is not merely transactional; it is a cornerstone in the pursuit of a resilient, inclusive, and diversified foreign policy architecture. By intertwining critical mineral access, digital infrastructure diplomacy, and developmental partnerships, India is recalibrating its Africa strategy to be future-ready.
As the Global South redefines itself amid supply chain realignments, climate imperatives, and geopolitical shifts, Namibia offers India a platform to demonstrate that strategic convergence and development cooperation can co-exist. The success of this partnership will depend on India’s ability to scale up investments, deepen technology transfer, and sustain people-to-people engagement — ensuring that the India–Namibia bond becomes a model for equitable and ethical international relations.
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