Study launched on value chains for critical raw materials
THE EU-funded AfricaMaVal project (AfricaMaVal.eu), implemented by the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), together with the Namibian company Odikwa Geoservices, recently launched a ‘Country Case Study Namibia' report. The report, launched on Tuesday at the Geological Survey of Namibia, is an assessment of the investment potential in the domestic mining sector.
The report provides an overview of the geological setting and Extended Critical Raw Materials (ECRM) endowment in Namibia. It shows investment opportunities for extraction and local value addition into these value chains.
It also presents insights into the regulations for financing, including taxation and royalties, and gives an overview of the macroeconomic context of Namibia. Besides these financial issues, an assessment of the social, environmental and governance challenges of Namibia is provided, including mining practices vs. Environmental, Social
and Governance (ESG) goals.
The report further touched on Namibia's robust legal framework, labour regulations, the taxation regime, trade barriers and
uncertainty about protected areas. A workshop associated with the publication's launch discussed expectations and challenges of investment opportunities in the critical and strategic commodities' sector in Namibia, based on the findings of the presented study.
The objective of the Namibia Case Study is aligned with the thrust of the EU-Namibia strategic partnership on Critical Raw Materials (CRM) and Green Hydrogen Value Chains, which was adopted in November 2022.
EU Ambassador to Namibia Ana Beatriz Martins emphasised that the AfricaMaval project is a crucial step, building on Namibia's vision for a green energy transition.
“The EU remains committed to its partnership with Namibia on sustainable, clean and inclusive economic growth. The promotion of local value generation and sustainable value chain integration between Namibia and the EU are at the core of this partnership,” said Martins.
The AfricaMaVal project aims to foster partnerships between the EU and African countries to support investments of the EU and the European industry in the Namibian mining sector (both industrial mining and small-scale mining), as well as in the associated infrastructure and value chains.