WINDHOEK, Aug. 13– Namibia is eyeing China’s zero-tariff treatment for African countries as a strategic opportunity to diversify its exports and expand shipments of agricultural, fishery and horticultural products to the Chinese market, a senior investment official has said.
Speaking at a public-private dialogue late Wednesday in Windhoek, Julia Muetudhana, acting chief executive officer of the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board, said the preferential treatment could help boost exports of beef, mutton, goat meat, seafood, table grapes and blueberries.
She said the opportunity aligns with Namibia’s Sixth National Development Plan, which seeks to raise the combined contribution of livestock and crop value chains to gross domestic product (GDP) from 4.6 percent to at least 8 percent by 2030.
The plan also aims to increase manufacturing’s share of GDP from 10.6 percent to 18 percent and raise the share of manufactured goods in total exports to 60 percent.
“Our goal is not just to access the Chinese market; it is to establish a permanent, reputable and high-value presence there, well beyond the two-year tariff period,” Muetudhana said. She urged the private sector to identify bottlenecks affecting exports so that its concerns could inform national trade and investment policies and improve implementation.
Muetudhana warned, however, that tariff removal alone would not guarantee commercial success, as Namibian exporters would face strong competition from established suppliers.
She said Namibia must strengthen sanitary and phytosanitary compliance, traceability and quality-control systems, while investing in cold-chain logistics, processing and packaging to meet Chinese market requirements and ensure reliable supply.
Muetudhana also called for greater policy certainty to support long-term investment in export-oriented industries, noting that projects in agriculture, processing and logistics often require investment horizons extending well beyond two years.
On May 1, China expanded zero-tariff treatment to all 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic ties. For Namibia and 19 other African countries not classified as least developed countries, the current preferential arrangement runs through April 30, 2028.
Namibia and China have concluded export protocols for beef, mutton and chevon. During Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s state visit to China in July, the two countries signed a phytosanitary protocol for fresh table grapes, while China introduced a regional market-access arrangement for eligible wild aquatic products from Africa.
China was Namibia’s second-largest trading partner and second-largest export market in 2025, absorbing 18.1 percent of Namibia’s exports, most of which were minerals, according to the Namibia Statistics Agency. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
