Namibia has reinforced its position at the forefront of Africa’s energy transition following the successful hosting of the 2026 CEPREC Namibian Summit: High-Level Policy Side Event, held under the theme “Advancing Circular Energy for Sustainable Development in Namibia.”
The event marked the conclusion of the three-day 2026 International CEPREC Summit, themed “Closing the Loop: Harnessing Circular Energy and Partnerships to Power Africa’s Remote Communities.” Convened by the Circular Economy Powered Renewable Energy Centre (CEPREC) in partnership with the Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia (EIF) and the University of Namibia (UNAM), the high-level event brought together senior policymakers, industry leaders, development partners and academic experts to explore practical pathways for integrating circular economy principles into renewable energy systems.
The event featured a keynote address by Hon. Indileni Daniel, Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, who stressed the urgency of advancing sustainable and inclusive energy systems across Namibia and the African continent. In her address, the Minister highlighted the dual challenge facing the region, expanding access to reliable and affordable energy, particularly for rural and underserved communities, while ensuring that such expansion remains environmentally sustainable, economically viable and resilient. She noted that across the SADC region, nearly 100 million people still lack access to electricity, while over 150 million rely on traditional biomass for cooking alongside an estimated annual energy financing gap of US$83 billion.
Positioning circular energy systems as a practical and necessary solution, the Minister emphasised that these approaches move beyond the traditional “produce, use, dispose” model by extending the lifecycle of materials, recovering value from waste and embedding sustainability across energy systems. She pointed to innovations such as repurposing endof-life batteries and strengthening local value chains as key opportunities for the continent. Furthermore, the Minister further highlighted that for Namibia, circular energy represents not only an environmental imperative but a significant economic opportunity. By embracing such approaches, the country stands to reduce dependency on imports, stimulate local industries, create jobs, strengthen energy security and position itself as a regional leader in sustainable innovation. She referenced Namibia’s target of achieving 70 percent renewable energy in the national electricity mix by 2030, supported by policy reforms such as the Modified Single Buyer model, which is enabling increased participation from Independent Power Producers.
She also noted the country’s ongoing efforts to advance green industrialisation and confirmed that Namibia is currently developing a National Circular Economy Policy in collaboration with EIF, aimed at embedding circularity across key sectors including energy, waste and industrial development. Complementing this, the Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia’s Chief Operations Officer Karl Aribeb, on behalf of the Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Benedict Libanda, emphasised that the transition to a circular economy powered by renewable energy is no longer a distant ambition but an immediate and actionable pathway for sustainable development. He highlighted that when powered by renewable energy, circular approaches can significantly reduce emissions while unlocking new economic opportunities.
With Namibia’s abundant solar and wind resources, the country is uniquely positioned to drive industrial growth, stimulate innovation and strengthen local value chains through circular energy systems. Emphasis was placed on the importance of coordinated action across government, private sector, financiers and communities to unlock investment, de-risk innovation and translate policy into implementation.
The role of universities and research institutions was emphasised as critical to bridging the gap between knowledge and practice. Participants underscored the need for deeper collaboration between academia, industry, and government to ensure that innovation is both applicable and scalable within local contexts. Reflecting on the outcomes, Professor Muyiwa Oyinlola, Director of CEPREC, noted that the transition to circular energy systems is fundamentally a coordination challenge, requiring stronger institutional collaboration and more integrated approaches across sectors. He highlighted Namibia as a compelling example of how locally embedded partnerships can translate ambition into implementation.
The event also underscored the growing relevance of circular economy approaches, particularly lifecycle management, reuse, and local value creation, as key enablers of both environmental sustainability and economic resilience. Participants emphasised that embedding these principles into policy frameworks, financing models and industrial strategies will be critical to building inclusive and future-ready energy systems. A key outcome of the event was the development of a draft communiqué, capturing priority actions and areas for continued collaboration among stakeholders. This is expected to inform ongoing policy dialogue and programme development within Namibia and across the CEPREC partner countries. Overall, the summit reinforced CEPREC’s role in convening cross-sector dialogue and advancing research driven, practical solutions to Africa’s energy challenges. It also highlighted Namibia’s growing leadership in shaping integrated and scalable approaches to sustainable energy transitions.