Namibia Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in namibia, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Selling to the Public Sector
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Selling to the Government

U.S. companies bidding on Government tenders may also qualify for U.S. Government advocacy.  A unit of the U.S. Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration, the Advocacy Center, coordinates U.S. Government interagency advocacy efforts on behalf of U.S. exporters bidding on public sector contracts with international governments and government agencies.  The Advocacy Center works closely with our network of the U.S. Commercial Service worldwide and inter-agency partners to ensure that exporters of U.S. products and services have the best possible chance of winning government contracts.  Advocacy assistance can take many forms but often involves the U.S. Embassy or other U.S. Government agencies expressing support for the U.S. bidders directly to the foreign government.  Consult Advocacy for Foreign Government Contracts for additional information.

In 2015, the Namibian government introduced a new procurement act which is more in line with international standards and aims to ensure more transparency.  The Act outlines public tender procedures in Namibia, including that the Central Procurement Board invites prospective candidates to tender and each call for a tender must be published in the Namibia Government Gazette and in at least one local newspaper.

Requirements to submit a bid:

  • A valid original Good Standing Certificate from Social Security.
  • A valid Good Standing Certificate from Inland Revenue for tax purposes.
  • Registration of company from the Ministry of Industrialization and Trade.
  • Any other relevant document certificate required by the individual tender document.

For Additional information on tender policies in Namibia.

Key areas of opportunities for tenders include:

  • Infrastructure Development
  • Energy sector
  • Mining sector
  • Environment and Resources Management
  • Education
  • Health.

Financing of Projects

The Development Bank of Namibia (DBN) provides finance for capital projects, such as infrastructure development, and for projects in sectors like fishing, manufacturing, mining, services, and tourism.  Projects financed by DBN include a N$ 120 million cement factory built by German-owned Ohorongo Cement (Pty) Ltd, a subsidiary of Schwenk Namibia (Pty) Ltd; and Camelthorn Breweries (N$ 10,170,575), a micro brewing company which produces “craft” beer.    

Most commercial banks also offer project finance and offshore lending solutions for clients wishing to make cross border investments.      

Namibia is a member and recipient of development assistance from the African Development Bank (AfDB).  The AfDB has partnered with the DBN on occasion to assist with project finance.  The AfDB’s Country Strategy Paper (CSP) for Namibia, 2020-2024, outlines the bank’s priorities for Namibia. 

Namibia is also a member of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA).  The IFC has been involved in small investments such as support for construction of a 110-room hotel in northern Namibia.         

Power Africa: Power Africa is a market-driven, U.S. Government-led public-private partnership comprised of over 170 public and private sector partners seeking to double access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa.  It also serves as a one-stop shop for private sector entities seeking tools and resources to facilitate doing business in Africa’s power sector.  Power Africa employs a transaction-centered approach to directly address key constraints to project development and investment in the power sector.  These interventions aim to de-risk investments and accelerate financial close — from facilitating project bankability with financing and risk mitigation, to providing technical and transaction support, to engaging with host-government counterparts.  Learn more about the full Power Africa toolbox at or other opportunities offered by Power Africa.

Multilateral Development Banks and Financing Government Sales. Price, payment terms, and financing can be a significant factor in winning a government contract. Many governments finance public works projects through borrowing from the Multilateral Development Banks (MDB).  A helpful guide for working with the MDBs is the Trade Finance Guide. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s (USDOC) International Trade Administration (ITA) has a Foreign Commercial Service Officer stationed at each of the five different Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs): the African Development Bank; the Asian Development Bank; the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; the Inter-American Development Bank; and the World Bank.

Learn more by contacting the following:

 

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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