CHAMWE KAIRA
Namibia’s intra-trade within the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) context, saw the country export goods worth N$4,7 billion in September. Over the same period, the country imported goods worth N$7,7 billion from the continent, Namibia Statistics Agency said.
The N$4,7 billion intra-Africa exports represent 52,3% of world total whereas Intra-Africa imports of N$7,7 billion represents a share of 51,8% of world imports.
On the African continent, Namibia’s exports were mostly absorbed by countries such as South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, DRC and Angola, while imports were mostly derived from the same countries except Angola but including Morocco and Togo and reflect on Namibia’s intra-Africa exports and imports by product, respectively.
The AfCFTA agreement is a high-ambition free trade agreement, with a comprehensive scope that includes critical areas of Africa’s economy, such as digital trade and investment protection, amongst other areas.
The specific objective of the AfCFTA is to progressively eliminate tariffs and non-tariff barriers to trade in goods and liberalise trade in services, cooperate on investment, intellectual property rights and competition policy.
The agency said road transportation was the most valued mode of transport used for the goods imported in September. Imports by road were valued at N$7,7 billion, representing a 52.3% share of all goods imported into the country.
Motor vehicles for the transportation of goods’, ‘nickel ores and concentrates’ and ‘edible products and preparations’ were the commodities with the highest value imported via this respective mode of transport.
Sea transport followed in second place accounting for 43.6% of all goods imported into the country and its basket comprised mainly of petroleum oils, ‘ores and concentrates of precious metals’ and fertilizers. Finally, 4% of total goods imported reached Namibia via air.
In September, Namibia exported ‘ice cream and other edible ice’ valued at only N$405, exported to the DRC. While on the demand side, the country imported ‘Ice cream and other edible ice’ valued at N$9,8 million which was primarily sourced from South Africa.
Over the entire period (Sep 2023 to Sep 2024), the value of ‘ice cream and other edible ice’ imported averaged N$7.4 million with the largest value of N$15.1 million recorded in November 2023 and the lowest value recorded in June 2024 at a value of N$2.5 million.
