Falling uranium and diamond prices dragged Namibia’s mining producer prices lower during the first quarter of 2026, despite strong annual gains in gold and zinc prices, according to the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA).
The NSA said Namibia’s overall Producer Price Index (PPI) declined by 1.7% during the first quarter of 2026, mainly due to weaker prices in the mining and quarrying sector.
Mining and quarrying recorded a quarterly contraction of 4.6%, although the sector still posted annual growth of 7.6%.
According to the agency, the quarterly decline was driven by sharp price drops in salt, diamonds and uranium, which fell by 35.4%, 15.1% and 4.6% respectively during the quarter under review.
Despite the quarterly weakness, annual mining price growth remained positive, largely supported by soaring gold prices, which increased by 51.1% year-on-year.
The NSA said salt prices rose by 32.1% annually, while zinc prices increased by 16.7% over the same period.
The data reflects continued volatility across global commodity markets, particularly in uranium and diamond pricing, while gold continued to benefit from strong international demand and safe-haven investment flows.
The manufacturing sector recorded more moderate growth, with the manufacturing index increasing by 0.3% quarter-on-quarter and 2.4% year-on-year during the first quarter of 2026.
According to the NSA, quarterly manufacturing growth was mainly supported by higher prices for non-metallic mineral products, grain mill products, and rubber and plastic products.
On an annual basis, manufacturing growth was driven largely by onshore fish processing prices, which surged by 70.7%, followed by meat processing prices, which increased by 9.8%.
The agency also reported annual price increases of 5.1% for non-alcoholic beverages and 2.3% for rubber and plastic products.
Meanwhile, the electricity generation, transmission and distribution index remained unchanged on a quarterly basis but contracted by 14.2% compared to the first quarter of 2025.
The NSA said the electricity index stood at 85.8 basis points during the quarter under review, unchanged from the previous quarter.
Water collection, treatment and supply declined by 0.5% quarter-on-quarter and by 1.4% annually.
According to the agency, the water index recorded 99.6 basis points during the first quarter of 2026 compared to 101.1 basis points recorded during the corresponding quarter of 2025.
