A Namibia South Africa Business Council was launched last week as a joint private sector platform designed to translate the historically close relationship between the two countries into tangible trade, investment and partnership outcomes for businesses on both sides of the border. The Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI) and the South Africa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SACCI) last week announced the formal launch of the Council, which was formalised at the Gallagher Convention Centre.
The Council originates from the 2023 Bi-National Commission (BNC) between Namibia and South Africa, where the two Heads of State agreed to establish a dedicated business council as a mechanism for coordinated, concerted private sector action. The new council formalises that presidential commitment into an operating structure that businesses can engage with directly.
"This council is the private sector taking up the mandate that our two Presidents gave us. The Bi-National Commission created the political runway. Our task now is to make sure that runway leads somewhere real - to signed deals, cross-border partnerships and growth that Namibian and South African businesses can feel. We are building a Council that listens, leads and delivers and that is deliberately designed to open doors for our large corporates and our MSMEs alike," said Titus Nampala, Chief Executive Officer of the NCCI.
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Namibia and South Africa share one of Southern Africa's most established and interdependent trading relationships, underpinned by decades of cooperation across mining, agriculture, financial services, logistics, manufacturing and tourism.
Yet business leaders on both sides have long argued that the relationship's full potential remains underexploited, constrained by fragmented engagement, limited visibility of opportunities, and a lack of structured platforms connecting private sector actors across the border.
The Business Council is intended to close that gap. It will function as a standing platform through which companies, industry associations and trade bodies from both countries can identify joint ventures, resolve trade facilitation and market access obstacles and coordinate positions on issues such as cross border logistics, non-tariff barriers, regional value chains and investment promotion.
Advocate Mtho Xulu, president of the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SACCI), welcomed the launch as a milestone in operationalising the country's economic partnership. "For too long, the depth of goodwill between our two countries has outpaced the depth of our commercial engagement," Xulu said. "This Council gives business leaders in both countries a standing table to sit at - not once every few years at a summit, but on an ongoing basis. That is how trust is built and that is how real progress is made."
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Officials from both chambers framed the council as more than a bilateral convenience - describing it as a strategic response to the shifting regional and continental trade landscape, including the opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
By strengthening cross-border industrial and investment linkages now, Namibia and South Africa aim to position themselves jointly as a competitive gateway for trade and industrialisation on the west coast of the continent, spanning sectors from green hydrogen and critical minerals to agro-processing and logistics.
The NCCI noted that the council's success will depend on the private sector's willingness to use it. Both chambers issued a joint call to action, encouraging companies of all sizes - from established exporters to first-time cross-border traders - to register interest, attend upcoming engagement sessions and bring forward the specific trade and investment opportunities they want the Council to help unlock.
"A council is only as valuable as the investable projects it produces," Nampala added. "We are inviting Namibian businesses to come to the table, tell us what is standing between them and the South African market and help us build a partnership that works from the ground up."
