Namibia has formally announced plans to deploy a real‑time digital payments infrastructure modelled on India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI), marking a major milestone in its ongoing digital transformation journey. This comes after leaders from both countries engaged in high-level discussions, spotlighting cooperation across digital finance, defence, trade and more.
During a state visit in July 2025, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Namibian President Netumbo Nandi‑Ndaitwah reaffirmed the growing friendship between the two nations. Modi, the first Indian prime minister in 27 years to visit Namibia, concluded a five‑nation diplomatic tour covering Ghana, Trinidad & Tobago, Argentina, Brazil and finalising in Windhoek, where he discussed expanding ties in defence, maritime security, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, healthcare, energy and critical minerals.
One of the most transformative announcements was that Namibia will roll out a digital payments system based on the Indian UPI platform, developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). The system is expected to become operational by September 2025. The groundwork was laid in April 2024 when NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) signed a licensing agreement with the Bank of Namibia—making Namibia the first country globally to secure such a licence to replicate UPI’s architecture.
UPI, launched in India in April 2016, is an instant inter‑bank payment protocol built atop the IMPS infrastructure and regulated by the Reserve Bank of India. It enables peer-to-peer and person-to-merchant transactions with simple use of a UPI ID or QR code, eliminating the need for traditional bank details. Over the years, UPI has driven a digital payments revolution in India, facilitating billions of transactions monthly and becoming the backbone of India’s cashless economy.
Namibia’s adoption of a UPI‑based system is expected to significantly expand access to digital financial services for its citizens, enhancing interoperability across local and potentially international payment networks. Officials highlighted that the UPI framework enables seamless, cost‑effective real‑time transactions and could serve as a backbone for future fintech development in Namibia.
Beyond the payments pact, India and Namibia signed two key memorandums of understanding during Modi’s visit—one to establish an Entrepreneurship Development Centre in Namibia and the other to boost collaboration in health and medicine. In symbolic developments, Namibia formally joined parallel global initiatives such as the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and the Global Biofuels Alliance, further deepening its alignment with India’s diplomatic and developmental priorities.
Bilateral trade between the two countries has seen steady growth—from under $3 million in 2000 to approximately $600 million presently. Indian businesses are actively investing in Namibia’s mining, manufacturing, diamond and service sectors. Defence cooperation has also expanded in recent years, with Indian naval vessels making goodwill visits to Walvis Bay and training programmes being offered to Namibian defence personnel by Indian Army and Air Force teams.
In their conversations, Modi and Nandi‑Ndaitwah also discussed accelerating negotiations on a preferential trade agreement between India and the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), seeking to unlock further economic potential. Modi reiterated India’s commitment to capacity‑building programs for Namibian experts and pledged support in sectors such as cybersecurity, ICT, agriculture, women’s empowerment, child welfare and education.
The visit also featured cultural and environmental diplomacy. Modi paid homage to Namibia’s founding president Sam Nujoma at the Heroes’ Acre memorial in Windhoek. He expressed gratitude for Namibia’s cooperation in India’s ‘Project Cheetah’—eight cheetahs were translocated from Namibia to India in 2022 as part of efforts to reintroduce the species into the wild. Modi extended an invitation for Namibia to join the International Big Cat Alliance.
On global issues, the two leaders pledged to enhance collaboration in counter-terrorism and amplify the voice of the Global South on international platforms. Modi thanked Namibia for its solidarity following India’s Pahalgam terror attack and called for collective action against terrorism worldwide.
Overall, the agreement to implement UPI in Namibia signals a strategic leap in digital infrastructure cooperation between the two nations. As Namibia becomes the first country to operationalise a UPI-based real-time payments network abroad, this move is expected to serve as a blueprint for other countries eyeing scalable, interoperable digital payment systems grounded in India’s technology.
