President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah and Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Yury Trutnev have held discussions to explore avenues for cooperation in nuclear energy, as Namibia seeks to beneficiate its natural resources.
Russia, one of the world’s largest producers of nuclear energy, and Namibia, Africa’s biggest uranium producer, see potential for collaboration in the sector.
Presidential Press Secretary Alfredo Hengari revealed that nuclear energy cooperation was identified as a key priority during their talks on Monday.
“The President also implored the Deputy Prime Minister on the need to beneficiate natural resources in Namibia. Russia is a key player in the nuclear energy sector, and Namibia is rich in uranium,” Hengari said.
Uranium was Namibia’s top export commodity in 2024, contributing 16.8% of total export earnings.
Highlighting the country’s economic strategy, Nandi-Ndaitwah stressed that Namibia is focused on adding value to its raw materials.
“Nandi-Ndaitwah mentioned that Namibia is currently focused on natural resource beneficiation. And in that vein, cooperation with the Russian Federation in that area would be welcomed. Because it’s not good economic policy for Namibia to export its raw materials, including uranium,” Hengari said.
In 2023, Russian state-owned energy company Rosatom suggested that constructing a nuclear power plant in Namibia could stabilise uranium prices while enabling the country to achieve energy self-sufficiency.
During the engagement, Nandi-Ndaitwah also underscored the need for stronger cooperation with Russia in the energy sector while addressing the pressing challenges of poverty and youth unemployment in Namibia.
“The Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation agreed wholeheartedly with our President on the need for Namibia to develop on the basis of its natural resources,” Hengari said.
Trutnev echoed the sentiment, reaffirming the strong diplomatic ties between the two nations and his longstanding cooperation with Nandi-Ndaitwah from her tenure as Minister of International Relations and Cooperation.
“We have been working for many years in the intergovernmental commission which aims to strengthen the relations between our countries. I thank you for our mutual work, which has had a result. Our trade doubled, but there is still room for further development,” Trutnev said.
