Uis mine pumps N$651m into economy
Andrada Mining spent N$651.3 million on Namibian suppliers during the 2025/26 financial year, an increase of nearly 10% from the previous year, as the Uis tin producer continued to channel spending into the domestic economy.
The company's latest financial year (FY) 2026 Sustainability Report records 189 Namibian suppliers among its 241 active suppliers, representing 78% of its supplier base.
The remaining 52 suppliers, or 22%, were international.
Of the Namibian businesses, 24 were based in the Dâures constituency, where the Uis mine is situated, 86 in the wider Erongo Region and 79 elsewhere in the country.
The N$651.3 million procurement expenditure represents an increase of approximately 9.7% from the N$593.7 million spent within Namibia in FY2025, based on the previous report's published figures and exchange rate.
The latest figures extend a longer-term trend of rising local procurement expenditure.
In its FY2025 sustainability report, Andrada recorded £25.28 million in procurement spending within Namibia, compared with £17.62 million in FY2024, representing a 43% increase.
At the time, the company reported 878 Namibian suppliers among 1,000 active suppliers. These included 81 businesses from Dâures, 382 from Erongo and 415 from elsewhere in Namibia.
Earlier, its FY2023 reporting recorded N$203 million in procurement spending through 225 Namibian suppliers, of which 107 were based in Erongo.
In November 2024, Andrada also announced that it had spent approximately N$402 million on Namibian suppliers during FY2024, representing 95% of its total procurement expenditure.
Chief executive Anthony Viljoen said at the time: “We are particularly proud of the significant progress we have made in progressing our ESG commitments this year, including a doubling of procurement expenditure within Namibia to £21 million.”
The latest report says procurement remains an important contributor to economic activity beyond the mine, supporting businesses involved in infrastructure development, equipment maintenance and logistics.
“The scale of Andrada’s procurement requirements presents a significant opportunity to contribute to community and national economic development,” the company said.
It added that local suppliers are required to meet the same standards as international service providers, while Andrada works with businesses to strengthen their compliance, operational capacity and competitiveness.
Beyond procurement, Andrada's wider economic contribution includes employment, royalties and community investment.
Its FY2026 factsheet puts its total local economic contribution at N$775 million, compared with N$737 million in FY2025.
Community development spending also increased to N$1.73 million, from N$1.15 million in the previous financial year. Education and skills development received the largest share, at approximately N$1.18 million.
However, the latest report also records a substantial contraction in the company's supplier base. Active suppliers fell from 1,000 in FY2025 to 241 in FY2026, while the number of Namibian suppliers declined from 878 to 189.
The company would need to clarify whether this reflects a change in reporting methodology, supplier consolidation or a reduction in its procurement network.
