Following the first confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Namibia, the Chamber of Mines in Namibia cancelled its annual Mining Expo & Conference for 2020.
This decision follows enquiry with relevant stakeholders and an in-depth assessment.
Exhibitors that have paid for their 2020 registrations will receive a full refund of the total amount.

“While the situation in Namibia appears to have stabilised since the first cases of Covid-19 confirmed on 14 March 2020, the chamber is under no illusion that the country is spared from the possibility of further infections,” read a statement from the chamber’s CEO Veston Malango. 
Malango added that the initially postponed dates (2-3 September) fall within the state of emergency, which lapses around 22 September 2020, with no certainty whether it may or may not be extended. He further noted that it is thus not possible to predict government’s actions or decisions pertaining to mass gatherings such as the Mining Expo & Conference in response to further Covid-19 related developments.

“With the rapid progress and escalated global efforts to develop a Covid-19 vaccine, the chamber remains hopeful that the much-anticipated Mining Expo and Conference will again take place in 2021. The official event details and dates will be communicated towards the end of this year,” said Malango.