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Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Yury Trutnev has been visiting Windhoek, the capital of Namibia with a Russian business delegation, and has been holding talks with Selma Ashipala-Musawya, the Namibian Foreign Minister, about strengthening bilateral trade. Trutnev is also the co-chair of the Intergovernmental Russian-Namibian Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation.
Trutnev said that “Our countries have long maintained friendly relations, and Russia will remain a dependable friend of Namibia in the future, and that trade turnover between Russia and Namibia nearly doubled in 2024, saying “We have achieved impressive results. I hope we will continue working in the same atmosphere of mutual understanding and cooperation.”
Prior to the meeting, Trutnev visited the national monument Heroes Acre and laid a wreath at the Eternal Flame, honoring Namibian patriots, when he arrived in Windhoek on Monday. According to a government press release, the deputy prime minister also laid flowers at the graves of former president Hage Gottfried Geingob and Sam Nujoma, the country’s first leader, who died in February.
Russia and Namibia established diplomatic relations in 1990, shortly after the country declared independence from South Africa. The Soviet Union have provided significant assistance to Namibia’s People’s Liberation Army during the Namibian War of Independence, which lasted from 1966 to 1989. Since then, Russia and Namibia have cooperated in areas such as politics, economics, trade, and humanitarian aid.
Last month, University of Namibia vice chancellor Frednard Gideon declared that the mineral-rich country is interested in joint nuclear energy projects with Moscow.
Last year, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced following talks with his Namibian counterpart, Peya Mushelenga, that the two countries are aiming to boost trade and investment in various sectors. Lavrov highlighted opportunities for cooperation in mineral resources, energy, agriculture, tourism, and healthcare. Russia and Namibia also have a mutual visa-free regime in place.
Namibia has a population of about 3 million and a GDP (PPP) of US$30 billion. Namibia’s GDP per capita (PPP) is US$11,000; while GDP growth for 2025 is estimated at 3.9 %.
Namibia has recently been discussing the possibility of Russian involvement in uranium mining and the potential for developing nuclear power plants in the country. There is also Russian interest in Namibia’s diamond trade – the country is the source of 30% of global gem quality supplies. Current bilateral trade is estimated to be about US$17 million, mainly consisting of Russian fertilizer exports. However, if the uranium and diamond mining sectors invest, this could rapidly increase.
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