Namibia exported charcoal worth N$100 million in September 2025, with the Netherlands, South Africa, and Poland emerging as the top destinations, according to the Namibia International Merchandise Trade Statistics (IMTS) September 2025 report released by the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA).
On the import side, the country sourced charcoal worth N$1 million from Malaysia. The NSA highlighted charcoal as the commodity of the month, underscoring its growing role in Namibia’s non-mineral export portfolio and its contribution to rural livelihoods.
“The analysis revealed that the country exported charcoal worth N$100 million, mainly to the Netherlands, South Africa and Poland, while on the demand side, the country imported charcoal mostly from Malaysia worth N$1 million,” said NSA CEO and Statistician-General Alex Shimuafeni.
During the month, Namibia’s total exports stood at N$7.4 billion, representing a 3.8% decline month-on-month and a 16% decrease year-on-year.
Imports amounted to N$10.8 billion, down 16.4% from August and 25.4% from September 2024. These figures resulted in a trade deficit of N$3.4 billion, an improvement from N$5.3 billion in August 2025 and N$5.7 billion in September 2024.
From January to September 2025, total exports reached N$91.7 billion, up from N$83.9 billion recorded during the same period in 2024. Imports totalled N$109.1 billion, slightly below the N$113.2 billion recorded last year.
“Further analysis shows that year-on-year, a N$5.7 billion deficit was recorded in the same month of 2024,” Shimuafeni said.
The mining sector remained the main driver of Namibia’s exports, contributing N$3.6 billion (48.4%), up N$1.7 billion from August.
The manufacturing sector accounted for 47.5%, though it declined by N$1.9 billion month-on-month, while agriculture, forestry, and fishing contributed 3.4%, mainly through fish exports to Spain and Zambia.
Namibia also recorded a trade surplus of N$58 million in food items, largely supported by fish exports, which accounted for 74.5% of the food export basket.
However, the country remained a net importer of beverages, posting a deficit of N$210 million, with average monthly imports of N$328 million between September 2024 and September 2025.
South Africa remained Namibia’s top export destination, taking 17.8% of exports, followed by Botswana (14%), Zambia, China, and the United Arab Emirates. It also dominated as the largest import source, accounting for 33.3% of imports, ahead of China (10.8%), Oman, Morocco, and Bahrain.
“The analysis of Namibia’s top trading partners revealed that South Africa maintained its dominance as the country’s largest market for both imports and exports,” Shimuafeni said.
Namibia recorded trade surpluses with Botswana (N$1 billion), Zambia (N$565 million), and Canada (N$540 million), while deficits persisted with South Africa (N$2.3 billion), Oman (N$772 million), and Morocco (N$573 million).
By region, the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) accounted for 31.9% of exports and 33.9% of imports, followed by the OECD (31.2% exports; 18.5% imports) and BRIC+ (18.1% exports; 15.1% imports).
The European Union (10.1%) and SADC excluding SACU (15.8% exports; 6.1% imports) also remained key trading partners.
