The Republic of Namibia has indicated interest to strengthen bilateral ties with Nigeria to boost its Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector even as the former South West Africa wants to explore the experience of Nigeria in oil and gas.
High commissioner of Namibia to Nigeria, Humphrey Geiseb, gave this hint while briefing reporters on the importance of the relations with Nigeria especially within the platform of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA) in Abuja yesterday.
The envoy, who recounted the immense contributions of Nigeria to the South West Africa Political Organization (SWAPO) in the liberation struggle of Namibia, which culminated in its independence in 1990, said the Joint Commission with Nigeria will enable both countries exploit their potentials for mutual benefits.
He said “Nigeria is at the forefront of the ICT sector with a lot of companies with world class technologies. Namibia is eager to work with Nigeria in the ICT sector. There is an agency in Nigeria that is promoting ICT. We have talked to them and we are eager to bring the youths of Namibia to see how they can benefit t from the achievements of Nigeria in the area of ICT.
“There are very vibrant mobile telecommunications and banking sectors in Nigeria. So, the idea is to enable all those players and give them a level playing field either to take their products to Namibia or for Namibia to bring its products and services here in Nigeria.”
He said further that at the moment, Namibia exports salt worth around $10 million to Nigeria yearly including some electronics.
According to the envoy, the Joint Commission, which was established in 2000, also centered on crude oil gas, adding that these days there are many other issues at the Joint Commission as the Fifth Session will be held in Namibia in August 2022.
“Namibia has substantial deposits of fuel, so we will be discussing with Nigeria and also learning from the Nigerian experience in terms of fuel production. We also have substantial deposits of gas; we have a specific area called the Kudu gas field. So, this joint commission has brought together our two governments,” he said.
On the significance of the ACFTA, the envoy said the initiative will guarantee a viable market like Nigeria where his country can export its products and to the rest of the world.
“We are exporting our quality beef to China, to the US, Norway and many other markets. So, when the remaining work is finalised all the non-trade barriers and all the trade limitations are removed to allow the African trade, it will benefit Namibia because our products like Namibia beef, wine, dates, wine and many products we export to non-African markets will now be available to the African market so that we can bring it to Nigeria and many other countries” he added.
