Namibian President Seeks Chinese Investment for Industrialization

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah led a delegation of six ministers and over 200 businesspeople on a state visit to China beginning July 5, 2026. The mission aims to secure investment partnerships focused on industrialization and value addition, specifically seeking a shift from raw material exports toward a beneficiation and processing model. This includes invitations for Chinese firms to establish plants for copper wire and battery precursors within Namibia.

During forums in Guangzhou and Shanghai, President Nandi-Ndaitwah and Minister of International Relations and Trade Selma Ashipala-Musavyi presented a seven-sector blueprint for cooperation covering green energy, critical minerals, digital transformation, and health. They highlighted the port of Walvis Bay as a strategic logistical hub for the Southern African Development Community. On July 9, the president met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing, where Li proposed expanding trade in oil, gas, and new energy while offering increased imports of Namibian agricultural and fishery products.

The visit follows the Ninth FOCAC Summit and leverages China's zero-tariff market access for African products. However, the mission faced criticism from parliamentarian Rodney Cloete of the Independent Patriots for Change, who questioned if the trip would yield binding commitments for processing plants or merely non-binding memoranda of understanding. Presidential spokesperson Jonas Mbambo defended the outreach as being based on economic reality rather than sentiment.