Indian President Droupadi Murmu held delegation-level talks with her Botswana counterpart, Duma Boko, at the President's Office in Gaborone on Wednesday. President Murmu is on a visit to Botswana and will witness the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in health and pharmaceuticals between the two countries, aimed at strengthening bilateral collaboration in the healthcare sector.
Under the Project Cheetah initiative and part of the visit, Botswana will also gift India eight cheetahs, symbolising its’ contribution to New Delhi’s wildlife conservation efforts. The animals will be placed under quarantine during President Murmu's stay.
She arrived in Gaborone on Monday evening after concluding her state visit to Angola, where she was received by President Duma Boko. She accorded a ceremonial welcome, including a 21-gun salute and Guard of Honour. This marks the first-ever State visit by an Indian Head of State to both Angola and Botswana.
President Murmu's visit to Angola, from November 8 to 11, formed the first leg of her two-nation tour undertaken at the invitation of the Angolan President. The visit reaffirmed India's commitment to strengthening partnerships across Africa and the Global South.
The historic visit followed President Lourenco's trip to India in May and advanced discussions from that engagement. Talks during the visit furthered the agenda set earlier this year, under which India approved a USD 200 million Line of Credit to assist Angola in modernising its defence forces. Both sides also moved closer to finalising the agreement, which would enable Angola to procure defence equipment from India.
In Luanda, President Murmu held detailed bilateral discussions with President Lourenco at the Presidential Palace and took part in the celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of Angola's independence on November 11. The visit opened new avenues of cooperation between India and Angola in healthcare, space technology, and digital public infrastructure.
Both sides also expressed their intent to enhance collaboration through global initiatives such as the International Solar Alliance, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, the Global Biofuel Alliance, and the International Big Cat Alliance.
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