India, Namibia to boost defence, trade and investment ties

India and Namibia today signed agreements for strengthening cooperation in defence and trade and for increasing investments in crucial sectors such as mining, agriculture and textiles in the African country.

The agreements were signed by ministers A K Antony, S M Krishna, Shashi Tharoor and their Namibian counterparts in the presence of visiting Namibian president Hifi-ke-punye Pohamba and prime minister Manmohan Singh.

Under the agreement signed during Namibian president Hifikepunye Pohamba's visit to India, India will source uranium from the African nation, which is the sixth largest producer of uranium in the world.

India has agreements with another African nation Niger for uranium mining. It is also in talks with Kazakhsthan and Canada for sourcing uranium.

The agreement on mining also covers other minerals like copper and diamonds.

Earlier, addressing business leaders in the capital, Namibian president sought Indian investments in these crucial sectors of the country, saying it has enacted appropriate legislation to stimulate investment.