Namibia’s mining and quarrying sector generated N$5.4 billion in export revenue in April 2025, accounting for nearly half of the country’s total exports for the month, according to the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA).
The sector contributed 49% of total export earnings, reflecting a N$1.2 billion increase from March 2025.
The NSA said the rise in export earnings was largely driven by uranium, which added N$1.7 billion, making it Namibia’s top export product for the month. Uranium accounted for 26% of total exports, with most of it destined for China.
Non-monetary gold followed with a N$437 million increase and made up 15.4% of total exports, mainly shipped to South Africa. Fish was the third largest export, contributing 11.5%, with key markets in Spain, Zambia, and Italy.
Diamonds ranked fourth, making up 10.5% of export earnings and heading primarily to Botswana, the United Arab Emirates, and Belgium. Ores and concentrates of base metals came in fifth at 5.8%, with shipments mainly going to Brazil, South Africa, and China. Together, the top five products accounted for 69.1% of Namibia’s total exports in April.
Despite improvements in export performance, Namibia still recorded a trade deficit of N$1.9 billion in April, though this was down from N$2.7 billion in March.
“Contrary to the deficits, encouragingly, the country recorded trade surpluses on uranium amounting to N$2.9 billion. The second and third places were occupied by non-monetary gold and fish, which recorded trade surpluses of N$1.7 billion and N$1.2 billion, respectively,” the NSA said.
Petroleum oils remained the biggest contributor to the trade gap, with a deficit of N$2.5 billion. Imports of motor vehicles for commercial purposes and motor cars for personal use added further pressure, with deficits of N$569 million and N$421 million, respectively.
While April’s trade shortfall narrowed, the NSA noted that the country continues to face a sustained trade imbalance. Between April 2024 and April 2025, Namibia’s trade deficits averaged N$3.2 billion per month.
