This is a best prospect industry sector for this country. Includes a market overview and trade data.

Overview

Mining, Namibia’s leading economic sector, accounts for roughly 10 percent of Namibia’s gross domestic product (GDP) every year.  Historically, diamond mining has been the leading sub-sector of Namibia’s mining industry.  NamDeb, the 50:50 joint venture between the Namibian government and Debeers, is the primary land-based diamond mining company.   Debeers Marine handles off-shore diamond mining.

Namibia is the world’s fourth largest producer of uranium oxide.  The nuclear industry continues to fuel the demand for uranium, due mainly to China’s expansion.  Rio Tinto’s Rossing Uranium mine, in production since the mid 1970’s, is the world’s third-largest uranium mine.    The Husab mine, adjacent to Rossing and believed to be the world’s 4th largest uranium deposit, was acquired by a Chinese company, and development of the mine started in early 2013.  The mine achieved its first production of uranium ore concentrates in December 2016, and has been increasing production since then.  Paladin’s Langer Heinrich mine has been in operation since 2006.  French nuclear company Orano’s Trekkopje mine has not been in production since 2013 due to flat international uranium prices. Namibia is also a leading producer of zinc.  There are two operational mines:  Skorpion Zinc (operated by Vedanta Resources) and Rosh Pinah (owned by various shareholders, with Exxaro Base Metals owning the largest interest at 46%).
In 2012, Namibia East China Non-Ferrous Investment announced that it had discovered large deposits of iron ore in the Kunene Region, in the north-western corner of Namibia. The company’s general manager, Ming Li, said they had discovered a deposit of 2.37 billion tons of iron ore, which has a lifespan of about 100 years. Over the past four years, the company has invested US$37.5 million in further mineral exploration, and it expects to start mining iron ore by late 2018.

Further, Lodestone, a mining company with U.S. shareholding has begun operations to extract and develop iron ore deposits in eastern Namibia. The Lodestone Dordabis mine commenced production in 2015, the first operational iron mine in Namibia. The magnetite and hematite products are being sold to local niche consumers, such as Ohorongo Cement. Local sulphuric acid and iron ore production are being consumed as inputs by Namibian operations, exemplifying how sector mining sector growth leads to the expansion of up-stream and services sectors. 

Finally, the outlook for lithium and cobalt is also good, with deposits under development with new investments.  Desert Lion began shipping lithium ore in 2018, with a first shipment of 30,000 tons.   Gecko Opuwo Cobalt is developing a cobalt deposit in Kunene Region. 
Other large mining operations include:
 
Mining CompanyOwnershipProduct
Weatherly Mining NamibiaWeatherly International*Copper mining
Okorusu FluorsparSolvay FluorFluorspar (CaF2)
Otjosondu Manganese mineShaw River ManganeseManganese
NavachabAngloGold AshantiGold
B2GoldOtjikoto MineGold
Desert Lion EnergyDesert Lion Energy, Inc.Lithium
Gecko Opuwo CobaltGecko Namibia, Pty.Cobalt
 

Leading Sub-Sectors

The Namibian mining industry is well-developed and sophisticated. Many local equipment and service providers exist to facilitate the distribution of foreign goods or services.  U.S. goods and services in the following fields are well represented in Namibia (although South Africa and Europe are the largest sources of foreign mining equipment):
  • Hauling vehicles and excavation equipment,
  • Software,
  • Furnaces,
  • Drill Rigs,
  • Automated Controls,
  • Mining Processing,
  • GPS Mapping,
  • Communications Systems, and
  • Materials Handling Technology.
Namibian mining companies frequently seek used mining vehicles and excavation equipment in good working order.  U.S. companies have sold used equipment to Namibian firms in the past.  Namibian customers will require warranties on the purchases of used equipment.

Opportunities

Uranium deposits in the exploration phase include Bannerman Resources’ Etango Project for which the company continues to seek investment partners, and Forsys Metals’ Valencia project, which is still in the feasibility stages.  
 
CompanyLocationDeposit TypeMeasured & Indicated ResourcesInferred Resources
Forsys Metals CorpValenciaHard rock21,500 tU
in 0.016% ore		4,200 tU
in 0.012% ore
Bannerman ResourcesEtangoHard rock41,500 tU
in 0.021% ore		20,000 tU
in 0.0197% ore
Source: http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf111.html
There are many other companies engaged in exploration and mining activities for various other metals/minerals.  Desert Lion Energy began shipping lithium concentrate from Namibia’s first large-scale lithium mine in the Erongo region of Namibia in April 2018.  Cobalt has been discovered near

Opuwo in the Kunene Region of Namibia, and Celsius Resources has a 2020 projected start for production.
For a complete listing of companies and the types of mining licenses they have been awarded, check the Ministry of Mines and Energy website (see resources section below).  The Ministry typically publishes an up-to-date list of different mining license types monthly.

The U.S. Export-Import Bank and the U.S. Trade Development Agency have added considerable value to numerous African mining operations and enhanced opportunities for U.S. businesses. (See Chapter 7: Trade and Project Financing for additional information on these agencies.)

Web Resources

Chamber of Mines of Namibia  http://www.chamberofmines.org.na/
Ministry of Mines and Energy http://www.mme.gov.na/
United States Geological Survey  https://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/mcs/
Namibia’s Mining Policy is governed by several laws, including the following:
 
 

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