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The Republic of Namibia is a large (320,827 sq. mi.) sparsely populated (1.8 million people) country on the southwestern coast of Africa.  Namibia is bordered by Angola, Zambia, Botswana, South Africa and the Atlantic Ocean.  Its capital and largest city with 233,000 people is Windhoek.

U.S.-Namibian relations are good and continue to improve.  Namibia has seized opportunities created by African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and is currently involved in negotiating a Free Trade Agreement between the U.S. and the Southern African Customs Union (SACU). Given its small domestic market but favorable location and a superb transport and communications base, Namibia is a leading advocate of regional economic integration. In addition to its membership in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Namibia presently belongs to the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) with South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, and Swaziland. Within SACU, no tariffs exist on goods produced in and moving among the member states. SACU is currently negotiating a Free Trade Agreement with the United States--the first of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Namibian economy has a modern market sector, which produces most of the country's wealth, and a traditional subsistence sector. Namibia's gross domestic product (GDP) per capita is relatively high among developing countries but obscures one of the most unequal income distributions on the African continent. The country's sophisticated formal economy is based on capital-intensive industry and farming. However, Namibia's economy is heavily dependent on the earnings generated from primary commodity exports in a few vital sectors, including minerals, livestock, and fish. Furthermore, the Namibian economy remains integrated with the economy of South Africa, as the bulk of Namibia's imports originate there, a situation that the Government of Namibia is taking steps to alleviate.

Since independence, the Namibian Government has pursued free-market economic principles designed to promote commercial development and job creation to bring disadvantaged Namibians into the economic mainstream. To facilitate this goal, the government has actively courted donor assistance and foreign investment. The liberal Foreign Investment Act of 1990 provides for freedom from nationalization, freedom to remit capital and profits, currency convertibility, and a process for settling disputes equitably.

For more information on this or other trade and investment matters please contact us at:

Frank Deparis, Economic/Commercial Affairs Officer, E-mail: DeparisF@N0SPAM.state.gov

Ms. Rauna Mutumbulua Economic Specialist, email: Mutumbuluamr@N0SPAM.state.gov Tel: +(264) 61 221 601 Fax: +(264) 61 229 792 14 Lossen Street, Windhoek, Namibia Private Bag 12029, Windhoek, Namibia http://namibia.usembassy.gov/

Support can also be provided by the U.S. Commercial Service South Africa. Please contact Senior Commercial Officer (SCO) Craig Allen via e-mail at Craig.Allen@N0SPAM.mail.doc.gov or telephone at +27 11 778 4813 for additional information or other opportunities in Southern Africa