Minerals, standards and Lüderitz top Namibia–EU deal list
Namibia and the European Union (EU) have signed a package of funded project agreements covering critical raw materials, industrial standards, urban infrastructure and geoscience, concluding the second Namibia–EU Business Forum in Windhoek last Wednesday with concrete commitments rather than declarations alone.
The agreements, announced at the closing session of the three-day forum on 13 May, carry a combined value of more than €4.4 million (approximately N$85 million) and span implementation periods of between 12 months and two and a half years.
The largest single initiative will direct €1.5 million (N$29 million) toward preparing Lüderitz for future investment and urban growth. The project, titled "Making Lüderitz Town Council Fit for the Future," will be implemented by the Association of Netherlands Municipalities in partnership with the Lüderitz Town Council. The Netherlands will contribute a further €308,000, bringing the total package to more than €1.8 million over two and a half years.
A second agreement will strengthen Namibia's industrial standards capacity ahead of anticipated growth in green industries. The "Support to the Namibian Standards Institute" project will be implemented by Germany's National Metrology Institute in partnership with the Namibian Standards Institution, with a total budget of €750,000 (N$14.5 million) over two years.
The other agreements
Two further projects address critical raw materials, a sector that has emerged as the centrepiece of the Namibia–EU strategic partnership. The Namibia window of the EU's Pan-African Support to Geological Sciences and Technology programme, implemented alongside Germany's Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources, carries a budget of €1.8 million (N$35 million) over two years. It will support critical raw materials value chains through coordination, knowledge management and improved access to geoscience equipment.
A companion initiative, the National Critical Raw Materials Strategy project, will fund the development of Namibia's policy, legal, institutional and investment frameworks for exploration, beneficiation and circular economy integration, with a budget of €386,860 (N$7.5 million) over 12 months.
The forum also announced that a Green Industries Summit will be held in Swakopmund in September 2026, with organisers saying the event is intended to reinforce Namibia's position as a leading African destination for green industrial investment and strategic partnerships.
A decade of trade growth
The agreements came as the forum marked the tenth anniversary of the EU–Southern African Development Community Economic Partnership Agreement, signed in June 2016. An independent trade study by economist Robin Sherbourne confirmed that the EU remains one of Namibia's largest and most diversified trading partners.
Over the past decade, bilateral trade between Namibia and the EU has doubled to N$17.6 billion, with exports spanning mining, fisheries, agriculture, beef and charcoal. Preliminary estimates from the study put the number of Namibian jobs directly linked to goods exports to the EU at 46,762, a figure that excludes services sectors such as tourism, which organisers said support thousands of additional jobs.
Green hydrogen and logistics ambitions
Participants at the forum also discussed Namibia's broader industrial ambitions, with particular focus on green hydrogen. There are currently eight large-scale green hydrogen projects in the pipeline, representing an estimated investment potential of around N$390 billion (€20 billion).
Proposed cooperation between European and Namibian partners in ports and rail infrastructure was also raised as a potential avenue for unlocking further investment and strengthening Namibia's position as a regional trade and logistics gateway.
Delegates acknowledged the role of the EU's Global Gateway initiative in supporting sustainable infrastructure, industrialisation and skills development in Namibia.
Closing remarks
EU Ambassador to Namibia Ana Beatriz Martins told the closing session that the forum had demonstrated the growing momentum of the partnership and a shared commitment to job creation, industrial expansion and sustainable growth.
"Namibia and the European Union have a unique opportunity to shape a sustainable and prosperous future together, for your citizens, for our citizens, and for our shared planet. We sign these commitments today, and from tomorrow we get to work," Martins said.
Trade minister Selma Ashipala-Musavyi officially closed the proceedings alongside National Planning Commission director-general Kaire Mbuende and mines minister Modestus Amutse, each highlighting the strategic importance of the Namibia–EU relationship and the shared drive toward industrialisation, trade and sustainable growth.
