Namibia will no longer export raw materials: Geingob

By Confidente Reporter 

NAMIBIA will no longer export raw materials, President Hage Geingob told delegates at the Namibia-European Union (EU) Business Forum in Brussels, Belgium, on October 24.

President Geingob highlighted that the Namibian economy is intricately linked to the extraction and processing of minerals for export, contributing significantly to our GDP and foreign exchange earnings. Regardless, he declared, “We will no longer export raw minerals.”

Geingob stated that the government, in collaboration with Team Europe, has mobilised more than € 4.2 million (over N$ 84 billion) in donor funding to establish the Namibian Green Hydrogen Programme, which is intended to strengthen public sector capacity to implement the goals and objectives of Namibia’s Synthetic Fuels Strategy.

“Together with our partners from Europe, we are dedicated to improving the sustainability of our extractive industry and developing local processing, refining, recovery, and recycling capacity in Namibia. This approach has the potential to underpin sustainable, clean, and inclusive economic growth while also fostering domestic resource mobilisation, economic diversification, and deeper linkages to the broader economy.

“The collaboration with the EU is aligned with our National Development Plans, including Vision 2030, National Industrial Policy, Growth at Home Strategy, the SADC Protocol on Industry, and the Mineral Beneficiation Strategy for Namibia. The Namibian Government has adopted the Harambee Prosperity Plans I and II to accelerate the implementation and impact of the aforementioned plans and strategies. Securing access to these critical resources is not just an economic endeavour but also a strategic security imperative for the world’s aspirations in delivering on green and clean energy objectives,” he said.