CHAMWE KAIRA
Namibia has recorded a relatively moderate pass-through of international fuel price increases to domestic pump prices compared with several African countries, with 64% of benchmark US-dollar-per-litre petrol price increases reflected in retail prices and 79% for diesel, according to an International Monetary Fund (IMF) comparison.
The figures place Namibia below South Africa, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Cabo Verde, Sierra Leone and Rwanda in petrol price pass-through, but above Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria and several other countries included in the comparison.
The IMF figures, covering the period from 23 February to 14 September 2026, measure how changes in international refined-product benchmark prices translate into changes in domestic retail fuel prices.
A pass-through of 100% means the percentage change in the domestic retail price matches the percentage change in the benchmark price.
Namibia’s petrol pass-through rate was 36 percentage points below the IMF’s 100% benchmark, while diesel was 21 percentage points below it.
This indicates that domestic retail price increases were smaller than the corresponding percentage increases in international benchmarks over the period studied.
For petrol, Namibia’s 64% pass-through was lower than South Africa’s 77%, Lesotho’s 82% and Zimbabwe’s 84%. Rwanda recorded 125%, Sierra Leone 114% and Cabo Verde 103%, meaning domestic retail price changes exceeded the percentage increases in the international benchmark.
Namibia’s petrol pass-through was also higher than Ghana’s 60%, Kenya’s 52%, Mauritius’ 49% and Nigeria’s 46%.
Zambia recorded a negative pass-through of -36%, indicating that its retail price movement ran in the opposite direction to the benchmark change under the IMF’s calculation.
The diesel figures show a different pattern. Namibia recorded 79%, below Malawi’s 85%, Lesotho’s 116%, South Africa’s 106% and Cabo Verde’s 104%.
However, it was above Tanzania’s 65%, Kenya’s 62%, Ghana’s 52% and Nigeria’s 60%.
The differences between the two fuels show that countries do not necessarily adjust petrol and diesel prices in the same way when international prices change.
The IMF comparison does not measure the absolute price of fuel in each country or establish which country has the cheapest fuel.
Instead, it measures the extent to which changes in international benchmark prices are reflected in domestic retail prices.
Namibia uses a fuel-price adjustment mechanism that accounts for international petroleum prices and exchange-rate movements.
In April and May 2026, domestic fuel prices increased by about 18% and 15% on average, respectively, as global petroleum prices surged.
The IMF reported that a temporary 50% reduction in fuel levies was implemented from April to June to help cushion the impact.
The IMF’s figures cover 23 February to 14 September 2026 and are preliminary estimates. They provide a snapshot of how countries responded to the international fuel-price shock rather than a permanent ranking of their pricing policies.
