…with only five mining licences granted in 2025
Non-exclusive prospecting licences issued in Namibia declined sharply to 415 in 2025 from 909 in 2024, following a record peak of 987 licences in 2023, according to figures from the Ministry of Industries, Mines and Energy and the Chamber of Mines of Namibia Review 2025.
The latest data shows that 56 exclusive prospecting licences were awarded in 2025, down from 71 in 2024, while registered claims declined to 198 from 222 in the previous year.
A total of five mining licences were granted in 2025, compared to two issued in 2024.
Mining licences granted peaked at 11 in 2021 before declining to eight in 2022, three in 2023 and two in 2024.
The review shows that prospecting activity surged between 2021 and 2023 before moderating in 2024 and 2025.
Non-exclusive prospecting licences increased sharply from 193 in 2021 to 822 in 2022 before reaching a record 987 in 2023.
Exclusive prospecting licences, however, remained below the levels recorded in 2019 and 2020, when more than 200 licences were granted annually.
A total of 97 exclusive prospecting licences were awarded in both 2021 and 2023 before the number declined to 71 in 2024 and 56 in 2025.
Claim registrations recovered after falling to a low of 11 in 2020. Registrations increased to 171 in 2021 before rising to 222 in 2024 and easing slightly in 2025.
Historical data contained in the review shows that exclusive prospecting licences reached a record high of 402 in 2011, compared to 230 in 2010 and 194 in 2007.
Non-exclusive prospecting licences during that period fluctuated between 243 and 467 annually.
Between 2012 and 2018, non-exclusive prospecting licences continued to rise, increasing from 441 in 2012 to 742 in 2018.
Exclusive prospecting licences over the same period fluctuated sharply, dropping to 56 in 2015 before recovering to 259 in 2018.
Despite periodic increases in exploration and prospecting activity over the past two decades, the review noted that the number of mining licences granted remained relatively limited throughout the period under review.
