Southern Africa: Namibia Maintains Second Position in Southern Africa's Startup Ecosystem

Namibia has been ranked tenth in Africa and 94th globally in the 2026 StartupBlink Global Startup Ecosystem Index (GSEI), reaffirming its growing reputation as an emerging innovation and entrepreneurship hub.

The country also maintained its position as the second-ranked startup ecosystem in southern Africa, after South Africa, and placed fourth in Africa in ecosystem attractiveness.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB) acting executive for competitiveness and branding Catherine Shipushu said the ranking places Namibia among Africa's more established startup ecosystems, which include Kenya, Egypt and Nigeria.

Shipushu explained that the GSEI evaluates startup ecosystems globally using indicators such as startup activity, ecosystem quality and business environment conditions.

Despite Namibia's ecosystem recording growth of 8.2%, the country dropped nine places globally from 85th in 2025 due to intensified competition and faster growth in peer ecosystems.

Meanwhile, Windhoek ranked 525th globally after falling 13 positions, although the city recorded ecosystem growth of 20.3%.

Shipushu said the startup support network has expanded from five organisations in 2024 to 18 members, improving collaboration and startup support services.

She added that increased institutional support in sectors such as financial technology, led by the Bank of Namibia and the Namibia Financial Institutions Supervisory Authority (Namfisa), reflects growing entrepreneurial momentum in the country.

Read the original article on Namibian.

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