Namibia recorded intra-African trade valued at N$12.8 billion in March 2026, with exports to the continent reaching N$6.1 billion and imports amounting to N$6.8 billion, according to the Namibia Statistics Agency.
The agency said the trade flows resulted in a trade deficit of N$717 million during the month under review.
The NSA said intra-African exports accounted for 45.9% of Namibia’s total exports in March, while imports from African countries represented 43.6% of total imports, underlining the continued importance of regional markets to Namibia’s trade structure.
According to the agency, Namibia’s exports were mainly destined for South Africa, Zambia, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zimbabwe, while imports were largely sourced from South Africa, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini and Botswana.
The NSA said Namibia’s exports to Africa remained heavily concentrated within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, which accounted for 98.9% of total intra-African exports during March.
The agency said intra-SADC exports represented 45.4% of Namibia’s total global export value during the month.
On the import side, the NSA reported that 99.8% of goods imported from Africa originated from SADC member states, with intra-SADC imports accounting for 43.5% of Namibia’s total global imports.
South Africa remained Namibia’s dominant regional import source, contributing 79.1% of intra-African imports during March 2026, followed by Zambia at 13.1% and the Democratic Republic of the Congo at 4.5%.
Eswatini accounted for 1.8% of imports from Africa, while Botswana contributed 0.7%.
The NSA said intra-African trade remains important for supporting regional economic integration, industrialisation and diversification through frameworks such as the African Continental Free Trade Area, SADC and the Southern African Customs Union.
