NAMIBIA could "make its own atomic bombs" should any external threats occur, form president Sam Nujoma has said.

Speaking at the inauguration of the northern railway line at Ondangwa on Saturday, the Nujoma said economic freedom of the African continent was the major challenge faced by its nations after political independence was achieved.

The new northern railway extension was a step to regional economic acceleration and would benefit Namibia's landlocked neighbours if linked to the rail network of southern Angola.

"We must prove to the whole mankind that we can do better," Nujoma emphasised.

"We have uranium here (in Namibia) and we train our own scientists and engineers and if they (external forces) create nonsense we can make our own atomic bombs," Nujoma declared, speaking off the cuff.