Namibia exports first consignment of Salt under AfCFTA
Namibia officially launched its inaugural export consignment under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) framework on Monday.
Held in the port city of Walvis Bay, this event marked a significant milestone in the country’s economic integration with the rest of the continent, with salt being the first commodity exported under the new agreement.
Traditionally, Namibia has relied on the Southern African Customs Union and the Southern African Development Community as its primary trade blocs, Minister of International Relations and Trade Selma Ashipala-Musavyi of Namibia said in her address. The export of a consignment of salt marked the beginning of a journey to position Namibia to take full advantage of Africa’s single market.
She added that under the framework of the AfCFTA, Namibia now has the opportunity to expand its reach well beyond these regional borders, accessing new markets across the west, north and central Africa.
The AfCFTA, a flagship project of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, aims to create a single continental market of over 1.4 billion people with a combined GDP of about $3.4 trillion, she said, adding that this offers Namibian businesses a “tremendous opportunity to expand their market reach, enhance competitiveness, and contribute to economic growth and diversification.”
Namibia signed the AfCFTA agreement on July 2, 2018, before depositing its instrument of ratification on February 1, 2019. A significant step toward operational readiness was taken on December 20, 2024, when Namibia gazetted its AfCFTA tariff offer, thereby positioning itself to commence trading under the framework.
