Namibia has been ranked first in Africa and second globally in the 2025 Greenfield Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Performance Index, according to Foreign Direct Investment Intelligence.
Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB) CEO Nangula Uaandja said the country moved up 10 places from the previous year, outperforming its projected FDI inflows by almost eight times.
“Namibia ranks first in Africa and second globally in the 2025 reading of the Green FDI Performance Index. The sub-Saharan African country moved up 10 places from the previous year, outperforming its due portion of the FDI projections by almost eight times,” she said.
Speaking at the Namibia Oil & Gas Conference 2025, Uaandja said recent offshore oil discoveries have transformed the country’s economic outlook.
She noted that exploratory activities in the Orange Basin indicate potential reserves of 11 billion barrels of light oil and 2.2 cubic feet of natural gas, which could significantly increase GDP by 2040 if commercially viable.
Uaandja said political stability, respect for the rule of law and openness to investment have attracted major global investors, including oil service companies Baker Hughes and Halliburton, to Namibia.
She emphasised the importance of ensuring that foreign investment benefits local communities through job creation and the inclusion of small businesses in value chains.
“We have to bring small businesses into the value chains and then of course we are creating those databases. While the Namibia economy continues to expand mainly thanks to foreign investment in its mineral world; job creation and private sector-led growth has remained low,” she said.
The 2025 Namibia Oil & Gas Conference is bringing together industry leaders, government officials and investors to discuss strategies for developing the country’s natural resources while promoting sustainable development and socio-economic growth.
