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2026-07-29 08:28 UTC → 2026-07-30 14:33 UTC ·
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Namibia expands foreign investment with China, Botswana Botswana, SA
After Building on the July 2026 agreements signed after President Netumbo Nandi‑Ndaitwah’s July 12 meeting with President Xi Jinping, Namibia secured has broadened its partnership network. A state visit to China resulted in eight agreements new bilateral accords covering energy, education, agriculture, infrastructure trade, health and critical minerals investment, including scholarships for Namibian students, zero‑tariff treatment for key exports such as uranium, lithium table grapes, and rare earths. The pact set a framework for green‑mineral processing, technology transfer cooperation on technical training and skills development, positioning China as a key partner pharmaceutical production. In Pretoria, President Cyril Ramaphosa and President Nandi‑Ndaitwah concluded the fourth South Africa‑Namibia Bi‑National Commission, reaffirming strategic cooperation in Namibia’s nascent oil, gas natural resources, mining, petroleum, trade and renewable‑energy projects. In investment. The joint communiqué stresses deeper economic integration, private‑sector partnerships and regional collaboration within SADC and the weeks that followed, Namibia intensified African Union. These steps complement Namibia’s earlier outreach to neighbouring Botswana, inviting investors to explore which has pursued joint prospects in agriculture, renewable energy, mining and tourism. Officials highlighted political stability, a skilled workforce tourism, and a one‑stop registration centre to streamline company formation. At the same time, Botswana launched its own investment mission targeting Chinese firms, aiming to establish local photovoltaic manufacturing and create skilled jobs through technology transfer. China subsequently pledged additional grant funding, expanded market access ongoing China‑Namibia framework for Namibian exports—including table‑grape and wild‑aquatic product protocols—and offered new scholarship opportunities to bolster agriculture, mining, health green‑mineral processing, technology transfer and industrialisation. Concurrently, skills development. Namibia’s petroleum sector continued continues to expand youth employment, with PETROFUND investing over N$250 million to train more than 500 participants and place over 60 young Namibians in internships employment through PETROFUND’s training and permanent roles at major oil‑and‑gas contractors. internship programmes.