• Market Watch

Namport looks ahead

• 1 Day Ago

The Namibia Ports Authority (Namport) hosted its annual Port Users and Stakeholders Dinner, where the authority reflected on its past 30 years and highlighted plans for the future. This year, Namport is celebrating its 30th anniversary.

At the event, Namport recognised its top three SMEs, top five revenue-based clients and top five volume-based clients.

Paul Wolf, a veteran with 50 years of experience in the maritime industry, was also honoured with the Namport CEO Lifetime Industry Achiever Award.



Growth

Namport board chairperson Nangula Hamunyela highlighted the significant growth of Namport over the past three decades.

“Our asset base has grown multifold, from N$93 million to N$6.9 billion. Direct employment has increased from 318 to 820, complemented by thousands of indirect jobs through service providers in our ports, logistics, and other supporting industries,” she said.

She further noted that revenue has risen from N$57 million to N$1.7 billion.

“Operating profit has increased from N$14 million to N$548 million, and container throughput (TEUs) has grown from 20 000 to 171 000, peaking at 330 000 in 2012. Bulk and break-bulk cargo volumes have grown from 1.7 million tonnes to over 8 million tonnes annually,” she explained.



Economic contribution

Economist Salamo Hei, owner of Hei Investment, presented an overview of Namport’s contribution to Namibia’s GDP over the past 30 years.

“Namport has contributed approximately 0.76% to Namibia’s GDP during its 30 years of operation. In monetary terms, the port has contributed around N$20.9 billion, averaging N$696 million per year,” he stated.

Hei also made several recommendations, including the development of specialised services such as customs facilitation and warehousing to attract regional trade and stimulate economic growth.

“Partner with neighbouring countries on infrastructure projects, improve customs processes to streamline trade flows, and integrate renewable energy, waste reduction, and pollution control measures into port operations for environmental benefits. Use the Namport Social Investment Fund (NSIF) to support education, healthcare, poverty alleviation, and environmental projects. Also, develop dry ports in Gobabis and Grootfontein to enhance regional connectivity and support landlocked countries such as Botswana and Zambia in accessing trade,” he suggested.



Resources

Namport CEO Andrew Kanime emphasised the importance of leveraging Africa’s abundant natural resources.

“Africa is home to at least 30% of the world’s mineral reserves. More recently, Southern Africa is host to some of the world’s largest deposits of raw materials needed for global decarbonisation. These reserves present numerous potential opportunities,” he noted.

Kanime also expressed concern about the trend of exporting raw materials in unprocessed or semi-processed forms.

“Following the government’s push for local beneficiation of minerals, Namport has made a strategic decision to facilitate industrialisation through the establishment of industrial clusters at our ports, leveraging the renewable energy resources available to us,” he said.



Container terminal

He further discussed the decision to introduce a private operator for the new container terminal at the Port of Walvis Bay.

“This decision aims to attract private capital, improving the efficiency and competitiveness of our ports, creating jobs, and increasing the value of benefits accruing to Namibia from this significant investment,” he explained.

Terminal Investment Limited (TIL) has been selected as the preferred concessionaire for the new container terminal.

“After extensive negotiations, we have transferred container handling operations to TIL’s local subsidiary, Terminal Investment Namibia, effective 4 November 2024. A formal ceremony will follow to provide more details about the concession,” Kanime added.

He also revealed that dredging at the Port of Walvis Bay has already begun and is expected to be completed by the first week of April 2025.

Regarding the awards, the top three SMEs were Portside Marine Services, Nekkov Logistics Solutions CC, and GBL Marine Services.

The top five revenue-based clients were Logistics Support Services, Woker Freight Services, Maersk Namibia, Sturrock Grindrod Maritime, and Trade Ocean Shipping Namibia.

The top five volume-based clients were Walvis Bay Salt Holdings, Engen Namibia, Logistics Support Services, Woker Freight Services, and Sturrock Grindrod Namibia.