Chamwe Kaira
Namibia exported goods worth N$5.1 billion to African countries in July, the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) said in its International Merchandise Trade Bulletin.
Imports from the continent stood at N$6.1 billion, leaving a trade deficit of N$1 billion.
The NSA said intra-Africa exports made up 40.7% of Namibia’s total exports, while imports from Africa accounted for 48.7% of total imports.
Most exports went to South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Mozambique. Imports mainly came from South Africa, Zambia, the DRC, Nigeria, and Morocco.
Namibia’s overall trade balance in July was a deficit of N$58 million. This was weaker than the surplus of N$856 million in June but better than the N$2 billion deficit in July last year. South Africa remained the country’s main trading partner for both exports and imports.
Exports were dominated by minerals such as uranium, diamonds, non-monetary gold, and copper. Fish was the only non-mineral product among the top five exports. Re-exports rose by 9% compared to June and by 2.5% year-on-year.
“The re-exports basket primarily comprised of ‘copper and articles of copper’, precious stones (diamonds), ‘ores and concentrates of base metals’, petroleum oils and rubber tyres. On the other hand, the import basket mainly comprised petroleum oils, motor vehicles (for commercial purposes), mechanical handling equipment, motor vehicles for the transportation of persons, and ‘civil engineering and contractor’s equipment’, said NSA statistician general Alex Shimuafeni.
Food trade recorded a surplus of N$834 million, making Namibia a net exporter of food items. However, the country recorded a deficit of N$178 million on beverages.
Blankets were highlighted as the commodity of the month. Namibia imported blankets worth N$8.1 million, mainly from South Africa, China, and Pakistan while exports amounted to N$398 104, mostly re-exports to Angola.
Caption
Fish is one of the products that Namibia exports to African markets.
- Photo: Contributed
