Niël Terblanché
For the first time since Namibia ratified the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement, a locally produced consignment of salt left the port of Walvis Bay on Monday.
The cargo symbolised the country’s entry into a single African market with approximately 1.4 billion consumers.
The minister of international relations and trade, Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, said the milestone represented the start of Namibia’s practical participation in intra-African trade under the AfCFTA framework.
She linked the project to the vision of the Organisation of African Unity’s founders in 1963, saying their dream of economic emancipation began to materialise through Agenda 2063.
She urged Namibian exporters to look beyond the Southern African Customs Union and focus on the broader African market.
“The entire African market of over 1.4 billion people is open,” she said.
She encouraged the private sector to explore new markets, increase production, and support youth innovation.
Ashipala-Musavyi announced that the trade ministry will conduct regional outreach next month to help businesses understand the new trade rules. She called on the private sector to take ownership of the agreement’s benefits.
“Let this day be remembered as one when Namibia took a bold step towards becoming a more connected, competitive, and prosperous nation within a rising Africa,” she said.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) deputy resident representative Christian Shingiro echoed the minister’s remarks.
He said the AfCFTA presents a historic chance to change Africa’s economic direction by eliminating trade barriers, boosting intra-African trade, and improving global competitiveness.
He warned that issues like poor infrastructure, regulatory bottlenecks, and customs delays raise trade costs by as much as 40%.
Shingiro said the UNDP has already trained 250 women and youth entrepreneurs and supported tariff-harmonisation workshops to help local firms prepare.
He emphasised that open trade must provide broad benefits.
“The goal is not just free trade but fair trade. Trade that empowers the vulnerable, uplifts communities, protects our environment, and shares prosperity equitably,” he said.
Namport CEO Andrew Kanime welcomed the launch and said the agreement offers an opportunity to shift shipping patterns.
“Africa’s true potential lies not in trading with overseas partners but with itself,” he said.
Kanime noted that recent dredging had deepened Walvis Bay’s port channel to allow some of the world’s largest ships to dock.
He said the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has developed the container terminal into a regional trans-shipment hub.
He warned, however, that successful intra-African trade depends on harmonising laws and regulations around the movement of goods and people.
After the speeches, the first cargo, 25,000 tonnes of salt produced in Walvis Bay, was set to sail for West Africa.
