Namibia’s mining and quarrying sector accounted for N$5.7 billion in export earnings in January, representing 50% of total export revenue for the month, according to the latest Merchandise Trade Bulletin released by the Namibian Statistics Agency.
The sector’s performance was supported by a N$1.0 billion increase in mining exports compared to December, cementing its position as the country’s leading export contributor at the start of 2026.
Uranium dominated the export basket, generating N$3 billion in January, with China and France identified as the main destinations. Non-monetary gold followed at N$1.8 billion, exported exclusively to South Africa.
Other significant export commodities included precious stones, largely diamonds, valued at N$789 million, ores and concentrates of base metals at N$720 million, and nickel ores and concentrates at N$653 million.
“January 2026 saw the mining and quarrying sector occupying the first position with the largest export value of N$5.7 billion, contributing 50.0 percent share to the country’s total export revenue,” the agency said, noting that the increase was driven by higher exports from the sector compared to the previous month.
On the import side, petroleum oils were the largest single import item at N$1.8 billion. Nickel ores and concentrates followed at N$798 million, while commercial motor vehicles accounted for N$373 million.
Capital and technical equipment also featured prominently in the import bill, including steam and vapour-generating boilers valued at N$338 million, passenger motor vehicles at N$315 million, and civil engineering and contractors’ equipment at N$271 million.
Re-exports reached N$2.5 billion in January, reflecting a 12.7% increase month-on-month but an 18.2% decline compared to the same period last year. Re-exports refer to imported goods that are exported again without significant industrial transformation.
Nickel ores and concentrates topped the re-export list, accounting for 26.1% of total re-exports and destined mainly for Canada. Ores and concentrates of base metals and petroleum oils followed, contributing 13.4% and 12.3% respectively.
Base metal ores were largely shipped to Belgium and South Africa, while petroleum oils were mainly re-exported to Botswana and Zambia.
Sea transport remained the dominant channel for exports, moving goods worth N$6.4 billion, equivalent to 56% of total exports. These shipments included uranium, fish and base metal ores.
Air transport accounted for 23.3% of exports, primarily handling high-value commodities such as non-monetary gold and diamonds.
The figures underline the continued centrality of mining to Namibia’s trade performance, with mineral exports accounting for half of total export earnings at the start of the year.
