The government of Namibia has instructed the Ministries of Industrialisation and Trade, Finance, and Home Affairs and Immigration to fast-track finalisation of the draft agreement on the One-Stop Border Post concept to be signed in May 2022.
The ministries are also directed to fast-track the Oshikango-Santa Clara border post operating hours to be increased from 6am-6pm to a 24/7 operation. This will be in line with the regional and international best practices in order to allow the free movement of goods and services.
According to decisions made by the Cabinet two weeks ago but announced last Friday by Minister of Information and Communication Technology Peya Mushelenga, the governments of Namibia and Angola may in the near future also come up with a workable framework for trade and investment between the two neighbors.
Mushelenga says that as a result of the submission by Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah of the report on the Namibian trade and investment mission to Angola held from 14-21 February 2022, Cabinet has directed the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation to commence with preparations for the “Inaugural Session of the Angola-Namibia Bi-National Commission” planned for the first half of May 2022.
The Cabinet has also directed the Ministry of Industrialisation and Trade, in collaboration with Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB), Namibia Industrial Development Agency (NIDA), and Business and Intellectual Property Authority (BIPA) to “extend a formal invitation, before 10 March 2022, to Angola for convening the Joint Trade Committee (JTC) in April 2022 in Windhoek.”
The industrialization ministry has also been directed to “engage individual businesses to lease property to set up temporary infrastructure to operate from the site, while seeking for the like-minded businesses to fund the project, through the Public Private Partnerships (PPP);
“Facilitate expression of interest by companies to invest in Namibia;
“Develop a clear comprehensive trade and investment strategy for Angola covering all sectors. The trade and investment strategy for the agriculture sector should go beyond exportation of Northern Communal Area (NCA) meat, to include competitive imports of fruits and vegetables, fertilisers, agricultural machinery and implements. It should further include a plan on promoting joint venture investments between Namibian and Angolan businesses of all sizes.”
In the photo: Welcome to Angola sign at Oshikango-Santa Clara border post.
