Namibia recorded N$9.8 billion in total trade with African countries in January 2026, with exports slightly exceeding imports as the country posted a trade surplus of N$232 million, according to the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA).
The agency reported that Namibia exported goods worth N$5.0 billion to the African continent during the month, while imports from African countries amounted to N$4.8 billion. The figures highlight the continued importance of regional markets within the framework of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The AfCFTA, a flagship initiative of the African Union under Agenda 2063, seeks to progressively eliminate tariffs and non-tariff barriers, liberalise trade in services and promote cooperation in areas such as investment protection, intellectual property rights and competition policy.
Data from the NSA shows that 43.9% of Namibia’s total exports were destined for African markets, while 42.5% of imports originated from the continent, underlining Africa’s significant role in Namibia’s trade structure.
However, the data also indicates that a larger share of Namibia’s trade still takes place outside the AfCFTA area, with 56.1% of exports and 57.5% of imports conducted with markets beyond the continent.
Within Africa, Namibia’s exports were mainly absorbed by South Africa, Zambia, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola. Imports from the continent were primarily sourced from South Africa, Zambia, Botswana, Eswatini and Morocco.
Exports to African markets were largely dominated by non-monetary gold, fish, diamonds, petroleum oils, and sulphur and unroasted iron pyrites. Gold accounted for 36.6% of Namibia’s exports to the Southern African region, followed by fish at 12.3%, diamonds at 11.1%, petroleum oils at 7.5%, and sulphur and unroasted iron pyrites at 3.6%.
The statistics agency also noted that Namibia’s intra-Africa exports remain heavily concentrated within the Southern African Development Community (SADC), which accounted for 98.5% of the country’s exports to the continent in January. In global terms, exports to SADC represented 43.2% of Namibia’s total export value for the month.
The agency said the figures illustrate the growing importance of regional trade integration as African countries seek to expand intra-continental trade under the AfCFTA framework.
On the import side, 98.2% of goods sourced from Africa originated from SADC countries, representing 41.8% of Namibia’s total global imports.
Key imports from the region included nickel ores and concentrates (17.0%), ores and concentrates of base metals (4.6%), alcoholic beverages (4.5%), commercial motor vehicles (3.1%), and sugar, molasses and honey (2.4%).
