Logistics ·
The Namibia Energy & Industry Pulse
Mining surges, the Orange Basin keeps delivering, and the logistics map is being redrawn. Four sections on what is actually moving.
The numbers are staggering. Mining is on a tear, the Orange Basin keeps delivering, and the regional logistics map is being quietly redrawn. Here is what is actually moving — and where the policy decisions of the next twelve months matter most.
1. Mining
Uranium is up 18% year-to-date and now accounts for 25% of Namibian exports. Etango-8, Tumas, and Reptile are all advancing — collectively reinforcing Namibia's position as one of the most credible uranium suppliers in a tightening global market.
Otjikoto Gold's commissioning of a 10 MW solar plant is the kind of practical decarbonisation move that makes balance sheets work and political relationships easier. Expect more of these.
The risk: rigid 51% ownership rules, applied bluntly, will crack investor confidence faster than they will deliver local upside. Policy certainty is the oxygen — design the rules carefully, then leave them alone.
2. Oil & Gas / Orange Basin
Rhino Resources' Volans-1X condensate-rich gas strike is the third major discovery this year. The Orange Basin is sustaining a roughly 60% success rate versus an African average of about 16%.
The commercialisation challenge is real. Without midstream and gas-handling infrastructure, these discoveries remain "paper oil" — known, valued, but not yet flowing. The next investment cycle has to fund the offtake side, not just the upstream.
3. Logistics & Supply
A new Namibian consulate in Lubumbashi (with DRC visa-on-arrival) is the kind of quiet diplomatic move that reshapes corridor economics. Expect a real shift of copper export volumes from Lobito to Walvis Bay as the route stabilises.
TransNamib's refit programme is overdue and welcome. Reliable rail unlocks bulk volumes that road haulage cannot economically carry.
4. Policy & Investment
The NAMPOA–COGANAM 2-year MoU signed this quarter is the kind of structured industry-government dialogue Namibia has needed. Combined with the National Local Content Conference in Swakopmund, the conversations are moving in the right direction.
Policy certainty is the oxygen. What we do next will determine whether we become Africa's benchmark economy — or another resource story that never reached its potential.