Namibia's natural resources: A roadmap from extraction to industrialisation
via The Namibian4 min read
Namibia has an opportunity to transition from primarily exporting raw materials to industrialisation, leveraging its abundant mineral resources, emerging oil and gas reserves, seawater desalination capacity, and renewable energy potential. While many resource-rich countries export raw materials and import finished products, Namibia can pursue a different path to foster value creation, employment, and economic diversification. The country already produces uranium, diamonds, copper, zinc, gold, lithium, and rare earth minerals, with petroleum production anticipated soon. Integrating these sectors with renewable energy and desalination could support mineral beneficiation, petrochemicals, fertiliser production, battery manufacturing, and other energy-intensive industries, generating greater economic value and jobs. International examples like Norway, Botswana, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia demonstrate successful models of linking extraction to value addition. Namibia must consider economic viability, infrastructure, market access, and competitiveness for local processing. Achieving this vision requires coordinated policies, infrastructure investment, stronger industrial planning, a focus on physical metallurgy and materials science, and collaboration between government, state institutions, and the private sector. The country should view its natural resources as strategic assets for industrial growth and explore converting by-products of extraction, such as aggregates, slag, sulphur
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by The Namibian.
England is set to play Mexico in a World Cup last 16 match at the Estadio Azteca on Sunday. This marks England's return to the Azteca 40 years after their 'Hand of God' game. England, coached by Thomas Tuchel, advanced to this stage after a 2-1 victory over the Democratic Republic of Congo, but has struggled in the tournament so far. Tuchel noted the challenge of playing at the Azteca's altitude of 2,240 meters. Mexico, in contrast, has won all four of its home games without conceding a goal, including a 2-0 win against Ecuador. Mexico's coach Javier Aguirre stated his team will need a "near-perfect match" to defeat England, who are ranked fourth by FIFA compared to Mexico's tenth. The match is scheduled for 6:00 pm local time. The winner will face either Norway or Brazil in the quarter-finals. Norway, with striker Erling Haaland who has scored five goals in three appearances, will play Brazil at MetLife Stadium. Brazil's coach Carlo Ancelotti expressed confidence in his defenders, Gabriel Magalhaes and Marquinhos, who have experience playing against Haaland. Norway's coach Stale Solbakken urged his team to focus on the game rather than the magnitude of playing the five-time world champions, stating Brazil is the favorite but not by a large margin.
Must ReadHarry Boesak and Shaun Whittaker argue that the genocide in Namibia from 1904 to 1908 was not merely an act of racial hatred but a calculated capitalist project. This project aimed to seize land, confiscate cattle, dismantle indigenous economies, and create a landless labor force for German settler capitalism. The authors contend that subsequent systems, including land dispossession, migrant labor, apartheid, and the current extractive economy, were built upon this violent foundation of racial capitalism. They emphasize that political independence in 1990 altered leadership but left the underlying economic structure largely intact, with the consequences of genocide continuing to shape Namibia today. The article asserts that reparations should go beyond apologies and symbolic gestures to include meaningful economic transformation, such as land and wealth redistribution, greater public control over mineral resources, rural development, and universal public services. They stress that reparations must be transparently shaped with the full participation of affected communities, not just political or traditional elites. The authors also link Namibia's situation to a broader global reparations movement, highlighting that reparations alone are insufficient without a concurrent class struggle to dismantle the structures that perpetuate inequality. They conclude that a just future requires both racial justice and economic transformation, with reparations forming part of a wider effort
Namibia faces a significant youth unemployment challenge, with 44% of young people unemployed and 41% of those aged 15-34 not in employment, education, or training. This crisis, disproportionately affecting young women, is linked to limited investment in research, innovation, and evidence-based development. Globally, economic transformation has been driven by substantial investment in research and development R&D, which fuels innovation, industrial growth, and job creation across various sectors. Namibia's research ecosystem, if strengthened, could produce local technologies, enhance value addition, and support new industries to absorb unemployed youth. However, research across much of Africa, including Namibia, is underfunded, leading to a reliance on imported technologies and external expertise. Institutions like the Namibia Statistics Agency and local universities, crucial for policy guidance, face resource shortages that hinder data collection, research, and innovation support. To address unemployment, Namibia must increase R&D investment for universities, vocational schools, research centers, innovation hubs, and statistical agencies. Establishing dedicated research grants and a national research and innovation fund would encourage young scientists and entrepreneurs to develop practical solutions. The private sector is also a vital partner, with businesses investing in research gaining competitive advantages and collaborating with academia to commercialize findings and c