In conversation with
Namibia has brilliant
ports and roads, but the
railroads are in urgent
need of refurbishment
and upgrading to
accommodate the kinds
of volumes that are
required by the growing
mining sector.
The other challenge in terms of infrastructure is the
rail network. Namibia has brilliant ports and roads,
but the railroads are in urgent need of refurbishment
and upgrading to accommodate the kinds of volumes
that are required by the growing mining sector.
That is certainly one of Namibia’s major challenges.
It impacts mines particularly in the central and
northern regions.
The Port of Walvis Bay is world class. There is a new
container terminal and the authorities are expanding
to the north. The plan is to create a logistics hub for
the SADC region, which is a great development, as
the country’s infrastructure is strategically linked
to neighbouring countries and to other transport
corridors. Although Walvis Bay is one of the best
ports in Africa, the rail infrastructure cannot support
the port infrastructure at the moment, given this
massive expansion.
What about electricity?
Most mines draw electricity from the national grid. A
few remote mines generate their own electricity or use
generator sets. Namibia purchases more than 50% of
its power from the South African power utility Eskom,
which is a risk over the long term given the continuous
challenges the entity faces.
What is your outlook for the Namibian mining
industry?
Generally, very positive. We expect exploration to
continue increasing in the next few years. This will
be driven by increasing demand for battery minerals
across the globe. In addition, we are upbeat about
what is happening now, especially in the uranium
market, as a price rebound will bring new projects
into development. b
MARCH - APRIL 2019 AFRICAN MINING
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