Windkoek — Last week, the Embassy of the Republic of Namibia to the United States brought ten highly specialized American and Canadian companies to Namibia to engage in investment projects. The trip was part of Namibia's efforts to diversify trade partners.

A wide range of industries was represented, from mobile technology & IT to logistics and business management. Among the participants were the architecture firm from Texas, Boka Powell, Seiko Sciences, a trading company with offices in Montreal, as well as experts in DNA analysis.

"The annual US-Namibia trade mission is critically important to maintain and cultivate new interests by American business people in trade and investment opportunities in Namibia" said Mr Audley "Kano" Smith, honorary consul of Namibia in Michigan. As the representative of various business interests in Michigan, he added, "US businesses and investors are afforded the opportunity to meet Namibian government officials and prospective joint venture partners and learn that Namibia is open for business. It's a win-win situation for all participants".

The government has defined four economic sectors of national priority: logistics, tourism, manufacturing and agriculture. The business trip was a great opportunity to show expansion in various fields.

"I was very impressed by the Medical school in Windhoek", said Dr Marvin Smith, a renowned heart surgeon and professor at the University of San Antonio, TX, who was visiting Africa and Namibia in particular, for the very first time. His lecture at the University of Namibia School of Medicine was a success. The owner of Cardiothoracic Surgical Association hopes to expand medical ties between Namibia and San Antonio. Last September, a Memorandum Of Understanding was signed between the Namibian Minister of Health, Dr Haufiku and the University of Texas Health Science Centre, to develop the exchange of medical students and technicians. Dr Haufiku said he hopes to bring to San Antonio next year, all students who attended Dr Smith's lecture.

Namibia has confirmed its vision to become the logistics hub for Southern Africa with the expansion of the Port of Walvis Bay, which was granted with the "Port of Excellence Award" in 2013 and plans to be a connection to America and Europe.
It is the deepest and most efficient port of the whole West Coast of Africa currently receiving 3,000 vessel calls each year and handling about 5 million tonnes of cargo.

Volumes along the Walvis Bay Corridors have grown the past ten years from zero up to more than 700 000 tonnes per annum. With more direct shipping calls to Walvis Bay, high efficiencies and short transit times, the Walvis Bay Corridor routes are in a well position to serve the SADC market to the rest of the world.

"When you come to Namibia you feel at peace", said a participant to the trip. With 1.37 Million tourists per year, Namibia is a niche experience. The country has many state-owned parks and reserves covering approximately 17% of the total land area and almost 200 privately owned game reserves. Namibia was the first country in the world to incorporate the protection of environment into its constitution. 14% of the land is protected.
Acknowledging a decline of power capacity in the southern Africa region, Namibia offers great investments opportunities in the energy sector.

The Kudu Power Project aiming to reach 800MW will be the first Combined Cycle Gas Turbine power station of this size in Southern Africa. The project is lead by the national energy company NamPower and is expected to be commissioned by end of 2017. The Kudu Gas-to Power Station will be located 25km north of Oranjemund along the Southern coast of Namibia, and hold an estimated 1,3 trillion cubic feet of gas.

The Minister of Mines and Energy Obeth Kandjoze, puts a focus on renewable energy and has recently visited the solar energy equipment manufacturers in San Antonio Texas, to look at their technology. He is now looking at options to deliver 150 MW additional power capacity within 12 months.

Namibia is in the process of getting authorized to export beef to the US. The proposed authorization is currently under public comment period in the US that will end on November 17. Once the comment period ends, the U.S. Food and Safety Inspection Service of the US Department of Agriculture will review and respond to comments as needed and will proceed to issue a final ruling. Once the process is complete, Namibia will be the only African country authorized to export beef to the US.

Namibia is the world biggest offshore diamond miner and represents a third of the diamond production of the world. It is also the fourth largest uranium producer. The Fraser Institute, which ranks the best mining jurisdiction in the world, ranked Namibia with the second best score in sub-Saharan Africa. The Institute reports a sound custodianship of Namibia extractive sector.

Namibia, a land of opportunities

Namibia is the 7th African top country ranked in the Ease of Doing Business Index (World Bank 2015) and offers a regulatory environment conducive to start and operate a local firm.

Fitch Ratings has affirmed that activity in Namibia will gather a momentum in 2015-16. It will be helped by a projected increase in uranium and gold output, as well as by a positive performance in the construction and retail sectors.
Gross domestic product (GDP) growth accelerated to 5.3% in 2014 from 5.1% in 2013 with robust construction activity and high consumer demand.

Namibia governance is considered to be higher than the African average. « Namibia has continually ranked within the top ten performers of the Ibrahim Index of African Governance, ranking 6th since 2000 and improving to 5th in 2014", Mo Ibrahim Foundation, 2015 index of governance. It is also the best sub-Saharan African country when it comes to freedom of the press, as ranked by Reporters Without Borders in 2015.

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