Namibia has intensified efforts to attract Chinese investment and strengthen bilateral trade ties by positioning itself as a strategic gateway to Southern Africa during a business engagement between a delegation from Shandong Province and the Namibian business community in Windhoek.
Speaking at the engagement, Acting Head of Bilateral Relations in the Ministry of International Relations and Trade (MIRT), Charles Josob, said government is prioritising industrialisation, value addition, job creation and economic diversification.
He said Namibia is seeking to ensure that the country’s natural resources contribute more directly to domestic manufacturing and long-term economic development.
“The Government of Namibia is prioritising industrialisation, value addition, job creation, and economic diversification. We are particularly focused on ensuring that Namibia’s natural resources contribute more directly to domestic manufacturing and sustainable economic development,” Josob said.
He told the Chinese delegation that Namibia offers investors preferential access to regional and continental markets through the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
“By investing in Namibia, investors have preferential access to regional and continental markets through SACU, SADC, and the African Continental Free Trade Area, which together provide access to a rapidly growing African market of over 1.3 billion people,” he said.
Josob highlighted investment opportunities in agriculture and agro-processing, including irrigation development, livestock production, fertiliser manufacturing, meat processing and food value chains.
He said Namibia’s beef and livestock industries also present opportunities for export growth and agro-industrial partnerships.
In the fisheries sector, Josob said opportunities exist in fish processing, aquaculture, cold-chain logistics, fish feed production and marine value addition industries.
“In fisheries and the blue economy, there are opportunities in fish processing, aquaculture, cold-chain logistics, fish feed production, and marine value addition industries,” he said.
The engagement follows a recent working visit to China by Minister of International Relations and Trade Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, during which discussions were held with government officials and private sector representatives in Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Beijing.
According to MIRT, the visit highlighted China’s rapid industrial growth, technological advancement and logistics systems, as well as growing interest from Chinese companies and institutions seeking to expand cooperation with African countries, including Namibia.
