Chamwe Kaira
Namport has reported record revenue and profit, citing a rebound in regional trade and steady growth in cargo volumes.
The company said its performance reflects disciplined execution, resilient operations, and a recovery in trade activity, which lifted revenue and strengthened financial results.
Operating profit increased by N$245 million, or 45%, to N$793 million from N$548 million in 2024.
Namport attributed the increase to sustained cargo and marine service volumes, as well as concession revenue of N$143 million recorded during the year.
At the group level, total revenue rose by 12% to N$2.88 billion in 2025 from N$2.56 billion the previous year.
Group operating profit increased to N$967 million from N$793 million, with an earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation margin of 42%.
Namport said profitability ratios improved during the year. The authority’s return on assets increased to 8.22% from 4.96%, while the group’s return on assets rose to 9.20% from 7.53%.
“Liquidity continued to strengthen, as reflected in the current ratio improvement to 2.10 for the Authority and 2.11 for the group.
At the same time, both entities maintained prudent gearing levels, with debt-to-asset ratios of 53% and 54%, respectively,” the company said.
Namport said the results reflect disciplined cost management, revenue diversification, and improved efficiency across port and ship-repair operations.
Container volumes followed an upward trend over the past five years, increasing from 155 980 twenty-foot equivalent units in 2020/21 to 171 151 TEUs in 2023/24, despite a dip in 2023.
In 2024/25, volumes rose sharply following concessioning, recording a 48% year-on-year increase to 253 996 TEUs.
General cargo volumes also grew steadily, rising from 4 million tonnes in 2021 to 6.3 million tonnes in 2025.
During the reporting year, volumes increased by 13%, driven by import and export activity across several commodities.
Cross-border cargo volumes increased by 13% in 2024/25 after a decline in the previous year.
Namport said growth was driven by a rebound in volumes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Botswana, supported by higher mining output and stronger return cargo flows from Zambia.
Volumes from South Africa declined due to lower manganese exports. Namport said fixed berth scheduling at the ports of Port Elizabeth and Saldanha required vessels to depart early from Lüderitz to meet subsequent port calls and complete shipments to China.
Namport said volumes are expected to grow from the second quarter of the 2025/26 financial year following the commissioning of the Pekamba Warehouse.
In 2025, South Africa accounted for 35% of cross-border cargo volumes, while Zambia contributed 34%.
Botswana accounted for 18%, followed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo at 10% and Malawi at 8%.
“The dominance of South Africa and Zambia reflects strong mining exports and growing imports of various mining inputs and equipment, while Botswana’s share has grown on the back of copper exports. DRC and Malawi volumes were supported by copper, cobalt, and agricultural trade, whereas Zimbabwe (2%) and Angola (1%) remained marginal due to alternative routes and limited export activity.”
Caption
Namport’s general cargo volumes grew from 4 million tonnes in 2021 to 6.3 million tonnes in 2025.
- Photo: Namport
