President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah says Namibia aims to leverage its mineral-based economy by strategically managing the mining sector to benefit from the SADC industrialisation programme.

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah says the SADC region has prioritised critical industrial sectors to curb heavy import reliance and maximise finished product exports. 

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) needs to accelerate the establishment of a regional development fund in order to financially boost regional industrialisation through core investments.

Namibia is aligning its national priorities, especially in mineral beneficiation, with SADC's industrialisation goals.

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah will join regional leaders in South Africa to deliberate on key economic, industrialisation, infrastructure, peace and security priorities as she participates in the 46th Ordinary Summit of the Southern African Development Community Heads of State and Government in Durban.

African countries that gained independence decades before Namibia have a role to play in its industrialisation pursuit through investment, value addition and regional trade.

The Namibia Biomass Industrial Group says the participation of key exhibitors contributed significantly to the success of this year's Biomass Fair at Otjiwarongo.

The Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Indileni Daniel, has called for greater investment in Namibia's biomass industry, saying the sector has the potential to create jobs, restore degraded land and drive economic growth.

The 9th Southern African Development Community-SADC Industrial Week has concluded in Durban, South Africa, with the region agreeing to accelerate industrialisation.

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has challenged Namibia's mining industry to move beyond commitments and accelerate job creation, local value addition, and economic diversification.

She described the mining sector as one of the key drivers of the country's development agenda.