HOW THE COUNTRY IS DRIVING SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENTS
BY CATHERINE SHIPUSHU
Namibia, renowned for its captivating landscapes, has evolved into sub-Saharan Africa’s leading investment prospect. A fast-growing, peaceful, and prosperous investment destination, blessed with an abundance of natural resources and a deep commitment to good governance. Namibia’s stable political environment has helped to support economic growth and social advancement, offering businesses and investors a fertile ground for profitable ventures.
Positioning herself as a lucrative investment destination, Namibia offers investors unique and attractive opportunities. With a deliberate commitment to sustainable development, the country has made significant strides in diversifying its economy beyond traditional sectors such as mining and agriculture. The growth of industries like tourism, manufacturing, renewable energy and global business services has created new investment opportunities with untapped potential for growth and long-term profitability.
Investment Opportunities
Recent oil and gas discoveries onshore, in the Kavango East region and offshore, in the Orange Basin have put Namibia in the spotlight, positioning the country as a potential exploration hotspot. On the other hand, great strides have been made in the renewable energy space with several large-scale projects currently in operation or under construction.
As the demand for sustainable energy intensifies, Namibia is well-positioned to leverage her unparalleled natural endowments – solar, wind resources, vast open spaces and long coastline capacity to produce Green Hydrogen at highly competitive rates. Namibia is therefore in prime position to attain her bold aspirations of becoming a renewable energy capital for Africa hub, and potentially an international green hydrogen exporter within the next 10 years.
With projected large quantities of ammonia as the bi-product of Green Hydrogen from projects such as Daures Green Hydrogen village and Cleanergy, the horticulture industry holds immense potential as Namibia currently exports high value fruits to key markets such the United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and European Union.
Nestled in the heart of Southern Africa, Namibia is a natural beauty, characterised by endless horizons and picturesque landscapes, diverse culture, and rich wildlife. From the sand dunes plunging down to the Atlantic Ocean at Sandwich Harbour, the second largest canyon in the world, Fish River Canyon to unforgettable stargazing experiences in the NamibRand Nature Reserve which is the first African location to obtain the DarkSky certification.
It is therefore no wonder that Tourism is amongst the top five priority sectors for investments in Namibia, with opportunities available in luxury accommodation, cruise tourism, boutique tourism and film tourism. These opportunities are cemented by the new and deliberate positioning of Namibia as an emerging Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) destination.
Sustaining a Conducive Investment Environment
From an investment attraction perspective, the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB) remains committed to collaborating with relevant public and private sector stakeholders to ensure Namibia sustains a conducive investment environment, underpinned by progressive policy frameworks and predictable structures and processes.
In our quest to ensure that Namibia remains an attractive investment destination, we are deliberate in eliminating constraints that impact the ease of doing business in the country, from advocating for policy reforms to establishing an Investor One Stop Centre.
A pivotal milestone in our journey so far as an Investment Promotion Agency (IPA) is the Investor One Stop Centre which serves as a physical single point of access to information and facilitation services for investors. Essentially, with direct access to a host of business-related services in a single location, investors no longer need to navigate through complex administrative processes to do business in Namibia.
