While Namibia’s total trade balance plunged into a N$5.2 billion deficit in February 2026, a remarkable bright spot has emerged from an unexpected quarter: the country has become a net exporter of food, posting a surplus of N$513 million in food items alone.
The latest trade bulletin from the Namibia Statistics Agency reveals a startling divergence in the country’s trade performance. Even as overall exports collapsed by 42.2 percent month-on-month to N$6.6 billion and imports climbed to N$11.8 billion, Namibian food products are quietly feeding regional markets.
Fish led the charge, accounting for 74.7 percent of all food exports at N$1.4 billion, followed by meat and edible meat offal at N$241 million. Edible fruit and nuts contributed another N$96 million. The numbers confirm that Namibia has recorded no trade deficit in food items since at least February 2025, with the January 2026 surplus hitting a peak of N$1.1 billion.
The achievement is particularly striking given the country’s arid climate and the conventional wisdom that Namibia relies heavily on food imports. While sugar and cereal imports remain substantial – sugar confectionery alone cost N$274 million in February – the country’s fishing and livestock sectors have transformed the trade calculus.
Fish carries the basket
Zambia, Spain and Italy emerged as the primary destinations for Namibian fish exports, which totalled N$1.3 billion in February. The fish trade alone generated a surplus of roughly N$1.26 billion against imports of just N$36 million, sourced mainly from South Africa, Argentina and Chile.
This performance is not a one-month anomaly. Between February 2025 and February 2026, monthly food exports consistently outstripped imports, with the surplus averaging N$480 million. The consistency suggests structural strength rather than seasonal luck.
However, the beverage sector tells a different story. Namibia imported N$252 million worth of beverages in February while exporting only N$53 million, yielding a deficit of N$200 million. Alcoholic beverages from South Africa dominated the import basket.
Manufacturing leads despite monthly slump
On an industry level, manufacturing contributed 73.5 percent of total export revenue in February at N$4.9 billion, despite a N$15 million decline from January. The manufacturing of basic metals alone generated N$1.82 billion in exports, followed closely by food products at N$1.77 billion.
The mining and quarrying sector, which had driven much of Namibia’s recent export growth, suffered a dramatic N$4.4 billion monthly collapse, capturing only 20.5 percent of exports. This plunge was driven primarily by uranium exports falling by N$3.0 billion, along with sharp declines in nickel ores and base metal concentrates.
Non-monetary gold remained Namibia’s single largest export product at N$1.68 billion – 25.5 percent of all exports – and was absorbed entirely by South Africa. Fish came second at N$1.34 billion, or 20.3 percent.
Re-exports decline sharply
The bulletin also revealed that re-exports fell by 26.8 percent month-on-month to N$1.8 billion, with petroleum oils topping that basket at 15.6 percent. Precious stones, primarily diamonds, made up 14.8 percent of re-exports, destined mainly for the UAE and South Africa.
On the import side, petroleum oils dominated at N$2.08 billion – 17.6 percent of all imports – sourced from Bahrain, Oman and Latvia. Nickel ores and concentrates followed at N$729 million, coming entirely from Zambia, while commercial motor vehicles added N$482 million, mainly from South Africa and China.
Trade relationships shift
South Africa maintained its grip as both the largest export destination – 37.8 percent of all Namibian goods – and the largest import source at 36.7 percent. But Zambia emerged as Namibia’s second-largest export market with a 15.2 percent share, followed by China, Spain and the UAE.
The country exported to 101 markets in February, down from 105 in January, while imports arrived from 151 markets – unchanged from the prior month.
Notably, Namibia recorded trade surpluses with Spain (N$286 million), the United Arab Emirates (N$279 million) and Botswana (N$227 million), while deficits were deepest against South Africa (N$1.8 billion), China (N$925 million) and Bahrain (N$734 million).
Transport and borders
Road transport handled the largest share of exports at 34.8 percent, followed closely by air at 33.3 percent and sea at 31.9 percent. However, by volume, sea transport moved 158,356 tons – nearly half of all export tonnage – compared to just 109 tons by air.
The port of Walvis Bay remained the country’s most valuable trade gateway, handling N$2.1 billion in exports and N$3.9 billion in imports, ahead of Eros Airport and the Katima Mulilo border post.
Continental context
Within the African Continental Free Trade Area, Namibia remained a net importer, buying N$5.6 billion from African nations while selling N$4.3 billion – a deficit of N$1.3 billion. Intra-Africa exports accounted for 65.5 percent of all exports, while imports from Africa represented 47.7 percent of the total import bill.
South Africa, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Botswana and Mozambique absorbed most of Namibia’s African exports, while imports came primarily from South Africa, Zambia, Eswatini, Morocco and the DRC.
The food surplus offers a compelling counter-narrative to the headline deficit. For a nation often characterised as import-dependent, the data suggests that in at least one essential category – food – Namibia is increasingly feeding itself and its neighbours.