WINDHOEK, Oct.3 — Namibia posted a record trade deficit of 5.3 billion Namibian dollars (about 308 million U.S. dollars) in August, up from the previous month’s 13 million Namibian dollars, the country’s statistics agency said Thursday.
The figure is also significantly worse than the 3.4 billion Namibian dollar deficit recorded in the same month in 2024, Namibia Statistics Agency Statistician-General Alex Shimuafeni said in the latest trade statistics report.
South Africa remains the dominant trading partner for both imports and exports, he said. Namibia‘s export sector is heavily concentrated in mining, with non-monetary gold, uranium, “ores and concentrates of base metals,” and copper and articles of copper making up the bulk of outward shipments.
Fish is the only non-mineral product listed among the top five exports. “The re-exports basket primarily comprised copper, petroleum oils, diamonds, ores and concentrates of base metals, and nickel ores and concentrates of base metals,” Shimuafeni said.
Namibia mainly imports petroleum oils, motor vehicles, nickel ores and concentrates of base metals, and civil engineering and contractors’ equipment, the statistician-general said. (Xinhua)
