African mining companies have been urged to adopt smart mining solutions as it is more efficient, safer and intelligent. Namibia is among several Sub-Saharan African countries to which Huawei has provided mining services to accelerate mining digital transformation. Mining services in Namibia are provided at the Rössing Uranium Mine in Arandis and Namibia De Beers Diamond Mine in Oranjemund through equipment such as drilling rigs, excavators and heavy trucks, among others.
During the just-ended Mobile World Congress (MWC), which took place in Barcelona, Spain, Huawei Vice President for the Sub-Saharan Region, Liao Yong, said Huawei will continue to collaborate and work with more African countries to promote smart digital mining.
“Mining in this region is the economic backbone and continues to play a role in the economy of Africa as a whole. It is, therefore, crucial to accelerate and improve digital mining in order to create more value in Africa,” Yong noted.
Namibia’s mining sector continued to expand in 2022, posting a growth rate of 21.6 percent, predominantly driven by the significant boost in diamond production, Namibia’s Chamber of Mines Annual Review for 2022 released recently showed.
Substantial Investment Inflows
More Optimism
In addition to the strong economic performance of mining, the report says there are significant investment inflows into exploration and mine development, as well as growing interest in Namibia’s critical mineral resources, which are expected to experience substantial shortfalls in the global market.
“Namibia offers an abundance and variety of these minerals, and there is growing interest in our critical mineral resources,” said President of the Chamber of Mines of Namibia Hilifa Mbako in the report.
“While this adds more optimism for Namibia’s mining outlook, it is also becoming increasingly important for the government to establish favourable terms and conditions in the mining and processing of these minerals to derive the maximum value from them and contribute to the long-term growth of the country and the sustainable supply chains of critical minerals,” he said.
Key Factor in GDP
Mining, Namibia’s leading economic sector, accounts for roughly 10 percent of Namibia’s GDP every year. Historically, diamond mining has been the leading sub-sector of Namibia’s mining industry. NamDeb is the primary land-based diamond mining company, a 50:50 joint venture between the Namibian government and De Beers. Debmarine Namibia, a 50:50 joint venture between the Namibian government and De Beers, handles offshore diamond mining.
Sustained Demand for Uranium
The nuclear industry continues to fuel the demand for uranium. Namibia is the world’s fourth-largest producer of uranium oxide. In 2018, the Husab open-pit uranium mine produced 3,028 tons of uranium oxide, making it the third-largest uranium mine in the world.
Major Zinc Producer
Namibia is also a leading producer of zinc. There are two operational mines: Skorpion Zinc (operated by Vedanta Resources) and Rosh Pinah (owned by various shareholders, with Exxaro Base Metals holding the largest interest at 46 percent). Lodestone, a mining company with U.S. shareholding, is extracting iron ore deposits in eastern Namibia.
