India to strengthen cancer care in Namibia

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced his country is ready to supply Namibia with a state-of-the-art radiotherapy machine for advanced cancer care.The machine, developed in India, has already been deployed in 15 countries and has assisted nearly half a million patients with critical cancer treatment.Modi, during his address in the National Assembly on Wednesday, also invited Namibia to join the Jan Aushadhi programme to improve access to affordable, high-quality medicines.“Under this programme, the cost of medicines in India has been reduced by 50–80%. It helps more than 1 million Indians daily and has saved patients nearly US$4.5 billion in healthcare costs so far,” he explained.Namibia has become the first country in the world where the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and the Bank of Namibia have signed a licensing agreement to implement the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) for real-time payments.“Soon, people will be able to send money faster than one can say, [thank you]. A Himba grandmother in Kunene, or a shopkeeper in Katutura, will be able to go digital with just a tap, faster than a springbok,” Modi said.“India attaches great importance to its historic relationship with Namibia. We not only value our ties, we are also focused on realising the potential of our shared future. We see great value in working together on Namibia’s Vision 2030 and Harambee Prosperity Plan. At the heart of our partnership are our people,” he added.Diversified relationshipDuring Modi’s state visit, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah highlighted the ongoing expansion of Namibia–India cooperation. “Namibia and India have made important strides to develop and diversify our relations, particularly in the areas of ICT, human resources development, agriculture, pharmaceuticals and defence,” the president said.“Our excellent relations and cooperation continue to thrive and deepen through the expansion of frameworks of cooperation across a wide range of priority sectors. Notable are the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR)", Nandi-Ndaitwah said.The president added that structured cooperation in defence and public administration is expanding.“Particularly through the memorandum of understanding between the Namibian Institute of Public Administration and Management (Nipam) and the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration,” she said.She also praised the successful translocation of cheetahs from Namibia to India.“This is not just an act of ecological restoration, but a global symbol of innovative South-South cooperation and sustainable partnership,” she said.Expand partnershipOn health cooperation, Nandi-Ndaitwah welcomed India’s proposal under the &#039;Pharmacy of the World&#039; initiative to establish a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Namibia.“This initiative would significantly enhance regional health security and aligns with Namibia’s goal of strengthening domestic production capacities in health. We are eager to finalise the outstanding memoranda of understanding in health cooperation,” she said.“I believe both our countries have the capacity to expand trade and investment," Nandi-Ndaitwah said."We see immense potential for scaling up cooperation in the following strategic areas: green hydrogen and clean energy, mining and value addition, oil and gas, infrastructure development, agriculture and food security, and tourism development.”The president pointed out that current global challenges have exposed the fragilities of outdated multilateral institutions.“The need for an effective multilateral system has never been more important to address the nature and scale of today’s global challenges, conflict, instability in the global trading system, climate change, inequalities, poverty, international terrorism and technological disruptions, to mention just a few,” she said.nikanor@nmh-hub.com.na

India to strengthen cancer care in Namibia

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Namibian Sun 2026-01-15

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India to strengthen cancer care in Namibia

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Namibian Sun 2026-01-15

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