Speaking at the Namibia Country Showcase during the 2026 Africa Mining Indaba this week, Deputy Minister of Industries, Mines and Energy Gaudentia Kröhne and Namibia’s High Commissioner to South Africa Nangula Frieda Ithete, laid out a coordinated Namibia’s mining strategy built on beneficiation, policy certainty, and regional integration under the country’s 8th Administration.
At the annual Indaba in Cape Town, Namibia delivered a bold investment pitch to global mining executives, positioning itself not merely as a resource-rich country but as a future-focused industrial and energy hub ready to anchor Africa’s next phase of mineral-led growth.
The message was unequivocal, that Namibia is open for business, but not for extraction alone. Under the theme “Partnering for Value: Namibia’s Path from Resources to Sustainable Industrial Growth,” Kröhne framed Namibia’s mineral wealth as a strategic lever for industrialisation and energy security in a rapidly shifting global economy. “Namibia is an attractive, investor-ready destination for mining, grounded in policy certainty, regulatory stability, and a strong commitment to sustainability,” she said.
At Indaba 2026, Namibia’s message was clear that the era of exporting raw materials with limited domestic benefit is ending. The country is seeking partners prepared to invest across the full mining value chain, from exploration to processing, from extraction to industrialisation. For global investors recalibrating supply chains and chasing critical minerals, Namibia is staking its claim as a stable, strategic, and increasingly indispensable player in Africa’s mineral future.
Mining has for decades remained the cornerstone of Namibia’s economy, contributing significantly to GDP, exports, and employment. The country’s mineral portfolio spans uranium, diamonds, gold, copper, zinc, lithium, rare earth elements, graphite, manganese, and a range of gemstones and dimension stones.
“These are not simply minerals beneath our soil,” Kröhne told delegates. “These are the minerals shaping the future of the global economy and enabling the world’s energy transition,” she said.
Namibia is already the world’s third-largest uranium producer, a position it intends to leverage as global demand for low-carbon baseload power rises. But the government’s ambitions extend beyond exports.
Uranium, alongside recent offshore oil and gas discoveries, vast renewable energy resources, and an ambitious green hydrogen programme, forms part of a broader plan to transform Namibia into an integrated energy and industrial hub. The goal is to power domestic mineral beneficiation, manufacturing, and long-term energy security for both Namibia and the wider region.
In a sector often rattled by regulatory uncertainty across parts of the continent, Namibia is leaning heavily on its reputation for political stability and rule of law. Ithete described Namibia as “a beacon of political stability, sound governance, and policy predictability,” emphasising these fundamentals have underpinned investor confidence for decades.
The country’s development trajectory is now guided by the Sixth National Development Plan (NDP6), aligned with President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s administration’s core message of growth at home, value at home, and opportunity for Namibians.
Namibia’s participation in frameworks such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and SACU further strengthens its appeal, offering investors preferential access to a continental market of more than 1.4 billion people.
Investors, Kröhne stressed, value predictability “and Namibia delivers it.” The government backed its rhetoric with tangible examples of B2Gold’s Otjikoto Mine that continues to perform strongly, while the Twin Hills Gold Project is advancing toward becoming Namibia’s third major gold operation.
In uranium, the reopening of the Langer Heinrich Mine has signalled renewed sector confidence. Expansion projects at Rossing Uranium and Rosh Pinah Zinc Mine are consolidating the country’s position in uranium and base metals, while a desalination partnership between Swakop Uranium and NamWater is securing critical water supply for mining and communities.
“These are real projects, delivering real outcomes,” Kröhne said.
Central to Namibia’s pitch is its logistics advantage with world-class developments such as the Port of Walvis Bay and the Trans-Kalahari and Trans-Caprivi Corridors.
Small-scale mining
Namibia’s strategy also extends to formalising and strengthening artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM), which the government sees as a vehicle for poverty reduction, youth and women empowerment, and local economic participation.
Kröhne called on development partners to support a comprehensive ASM framework that enhances access to finance, skills development, environmental compliance, and market access.
Sustainability also remains central to the government’s narrative as Namibia promotes renewable energy use in mining, strengthening environmental governance, and investing in water security to future-proof its resource sector. Namibia’s pitch comes amid heightened geopolitical tensions, trade disruptions, and volatility in key commodity markets, including pressures in the diamond sector. But, rather than retreat, Namibia sees opportunity.
“We do not view these challenges as setbacks,” Kröhne said. “We see them as opportunities to diversify, innovate, and collaborate more closely with partners to build resilience and long-term value,” she added.