Renthia Kaimbi
The minister of international relations and trade, Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, has concluded a weeklong working visit to China. The purpose of the visit was to strengthen economic ties and promote Namibia as an investment destination.
Ashipala-Musavyi held talks and business forums in Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Beijing. She met Chinese government officials, including ministers of commerce and foreign affairs, and engaged with potential investors.
At roundtable events in Shenzhen and Guangzhou, Ashipala-Musavyi outlined trade and investment opportunities in Namibia. Chinese enterprises showed interest during the engagements.
“Bilateral trade reached approximately 132.68 billion Chinese yuan (about N$342.3 billion) in 2025,” she said, noting a 36.5% increase from the previous year.
She said China’s imports from Namibia rose 53% to 90.71 billion yuan (about N$234.0 billion), driven mainly by uranium.
Ashipala-Musavyi said Namibia still runs a trade deficit with China and other partners.
She said closing the gap requires a shift from raw material exports to local value addition and manufacturing, where investors can play a role.
She identified mining and energy as key sectors. Namibia has reserves of uranium, lithium, copper and rare earth elements and is seeking partners for processing across the value chain.
She also pointed to solar and wind resources as a base for renewable energy and green hydrogen projects.
In agriculture, fisheries and the blue economy, she said the sector contributes about 12% of GDP.
She referred to a recent agreement on goat and mutton exports and ongoing talks on grapes and aquatic products. She said there are opportunities in agro-processing, fertiliser production, meat processing and fish feed.
She said Namibia’s ports at Walvis Bay and Lüderitz offer access to regional markets under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
She said investors could use Namibia as a base to produce automotive parts, electronics and construction materials for Africa.
The minister also pointed to opportunities in tourism, including hotel, lodge and conference developments.
To support investment, she highlighted reforms such as an amended Foreign Investment Act and a new Special Economic Zones (SEZ) law aimed at attracting investors.
She invited Chinese business leaders to visit Namibia and explore opportunities.
