WINDHOEK, Sept. 02 — Namibian Minister of Mines and Energy Tom Alweendo on Wednesday urged mining companies to procure from locals.
While addressing the opening of the country’s virtual Mining Expo and Conference, Alweendo said Namibia’s mining industry accounts for 50 percent of exports, and the total value of goods and services procured by the mining sector last year was about 12.3 billion Namibia dollars (about 854 million U.S. dollars).
“Even though the figure looks good, there is still a difference between Namibian registered companies (foreign-owned) and Namibian owned companies. A significant portion of the local procurement amount still goes to foreign-owned Namibian registered companies. This gap needs to be breached,” he said.
Alweendo said it is for this reason, the Ministry of Mines and Energy, together with the Chamber of Mines, is developing a database for local inputs.
The database will serve the industry by providing a platform for local suppliers to meet the needs of mining companies, and for mining companies to procure from locals, the official added. (Xinhua)
