Namibia pushes to narrow SA trade gap
Namibia has called for stronger private-sector cooperation with South Africa to help address a widening trade imbalance, arguing that closer industrial partnerships are needed to transform one of southern Africa's largest bilateral trading relationships.
Speaking at the opening of the fourth Namibia-South Africa Bi-National Commission (BNC) in Pretoria this week, trade minister Selma Ashipala-Musavyi said trade between the neighbouring countries reached approximately N$86 billion in 2025, underlining both the importance of the relationship and the need for greater economic integration.
According to figures presented by the minister, Namibia exported goods worth N$29.21 billion to South Africa last year while importing N$57.84 billion, leaving a trade deficit of nearly N$28.6 billion.
She attributed the imbalance largely to differences in the two countries' industrial capacity.
"Our bilateral trade figures highlight the importance of convening the BNC at the highest level as the economies of Namibia and South Africa are deeply intertwined," she said.
Namibia's principal exports to South Africa in 2025 included precious and semi-precious stones and metals, ores and slag, fish and other aquatic products, and live animals.
Imports from South Africa were dominated by manufactured goods including vehicles, machinery, electrical equipment and pharmaceutical products, illustrating Namibia's continued reliance on South African industry for higher value-added products.
From trade to investment
Rather than viewing the trade deficit as simply a statistical concern, Ashipala-Musavyi said it should serve as a catalyst for greater collaboration between businesses in both countries.
She renewed Namibia's support for establishing a South Africa-Namibia Business Council, first agreed during the third session of the Bi-National Commission.
The council, she said, would provide an institutional platform to mobilise private investment, encourage joint ventures and develop industrial partnerships capable of shifting the relationship beyond traditional patterns of raw material exports and manufactured imports.
She described the council as the "missing operational link" between the two economies.
Ashipala-Musavyi urged the respective chambers of commerce to finalise the council's terms of reference and formally launch it before the fifth Bi-National Commission.
She also welcomed the inclusion of a Business Forum alongside this year's BNC, saying it demonstrated a stronger commitment to involving the private sector in advancing bilateral economic cooperation.
Regional integration
Beyond bilateral trade, Ashipala-Musavyi pointed to recent progress within the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), following the ninth SACU Summit and seventh Ministerial Retreat held in June and welcomed proposals allowing Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Namibia to participate in South Africa's tariff-setting processes at the International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC) in an ex-officio capacity.
Although limited, she described the move as an important step towards improving transparency in decisions that affect the wider customs union.
“Of particular interest to Namibia is the proposal for Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Namibia to participate, in an ex-officio capacity, within South Africa's own tariff-setting process at the International Trade Administration Commission, a modest but meaningful step towards the transparency our smaller economies have long sought,” Ashipala-Musavyi said.
For smaller SACU members, South Africa's tariff decisions have long carried significant implications for trade and industrial policy across the bloc.
Value chains
The minister also highlighted growing cooperation on regional industrial value chains, pointing to the Andrada Lithium Project in Namibia as an example of cross-border collaboration already taking shape.
She said the project has benefited from technical and financial support from South Africa's Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), demonstrating how regional partnerships can strengthen industrial development rather than simply expand trade in raw commodities.
The project, she said, reflected the practical implementation of a "re-imagined SACU" built around regional value addition and industrialisation.
