Namibia is poised to make history as it prepares to launch its first export consignment under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), marking a significant step in the country’s trade expansion ambitions.
The Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI) is urging local businesses with consignments ready for shipment by next month, to participate in this groundbreaking initiative.
The consignments will be dispatched either through Walvis Bay or via road transport, with the official launch scheduled to take place next month.
This move will enable Namibian exporters to engage in cross-border trade within Africa.
The milestone follows the recent gazetting of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) Tariff Concession, which facilitates the implementation of the AfCFTA framework. The concession allows Namibia, alongside other SACU member states, to begin trading under the AfCFTA agreement.
The Ministry of Industrialisation and Trade (MIT), which signed the AfCFTA Agreement in 2018 and ratified it in February 2019, views the initiative as a crucial step in driving intra-African trade liberalisation.
The Ministry stated that Namibia is now strategically positioned to leverage opportunities for economic diversification, value chain development, and broader economic transformation.
“This means the country is set to engage actively in AfCFTA, offering opportunities to diversify the economy, expand value chains, and achieve meaningful economic transformation,” the MIT said.
The AfCFTA agreement, which aims to create a unified market across the continent, has been signed by 54 countries, with 46 nations having ratified it as a binding law.
Trading under the agreement officially commenced on January 1, 2021, and was followed by the AfCFTA-Guided Trade Initiative pilot program in October 2022, which initially involved eight countries: Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Tunisia.
