Staff Reporter
NAMIBIA and other Southern African Customs Union (SACU) member states have taken a major step towards improved market access and trade with India following the signing of the Terms of Reference (ToR) for negotiations on a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA).
The ToR were signed in New Delhi by Namibia’s Executive Director in the Ministry of International Relations and Trade, Ndiitah Nghipondoka-Robiati, in her capacity as SACU coordinator of the negotiations, and Yashvir Singh, Additional Secretary in India’s Department of Commerce.
The signing establishes the framework for formal negotiations between SACU and India, with the agreement expected to expand and diversify trade and investment opportunities, open new export markets and promote more balanced economic relations.
India’s Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, who delivered the keynote address at the ceremony, called for a balanced, fair and equitable agreement that would create opportunities for both sides.
Goyal said India could support the SACU region through the supply of affordable medicines, development of information technology skills and integration into global supply chains.
He said the negotiations would build on existing commercial ties and complementarities in sectors such as engineering goods and machinery, automobiles, pharmaceuticals, textiles, agriculture and agri-processing.
Goyal urged the negotiating teams to move with urgency towards concluding the agreement, adding that the signing of the ToR alone would not reduce tariffs or facilitate trade until a final agreement is reached.
Nghipondoka-Robiati welcomed the signing as an important milestone that would bring structure, transparency and predictability to the negotiations.
She highlighted India’s importance as a strategic partner and a pillar of South-South cooperation, while emphasising the need for an outcome that takes into account the different levels of development among SACU member states, including least-developed countries and small and vulnerable economies.
The negotiations are expected to cover eight chapters, including trade in goods and market access, rules of origin, customs procedures and trade facilitation, trade remedies, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, technical barriers to trade, dispute settlement, and legal and horizontal provisions.
India’s Commerce Secretary, Rajesh Agrawal, said the signing marked India’s first Terms of Reference with the African region and highlighted SACU’s significance as the world’s oldest customs union.
The ceremony was attended by India’s Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Jitin Prasada, senior Indian government officials and Heads of Mission representing SACU member states in India.
The signing is expected to pave the way for negotiations aimed at strengthening trade relations, diversifying export markets and improving market access between India and SACU.
SACU comprises Namibia, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and South Africa.
Photo: Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation-Namibia
