Namibia has become the first African country eligible to export beef to the United States. The US embassy made the announcement in a statement released in Windhoek on Wednesday. It said a final ruling by the US Food Safety and Inspection Service had added Namibia to the list of countries eligible to export meat and meat products to the US. In the ruling, the Service concluded that Namibia's meat inspection system is equivalent to that of the US. It allows Namibia to export boneless raw beef products, such as primal cuts, chuck, blade and beef trimmings from certified establishments. US Ambassador to Namibia, Thomas Doughton, welcomed the final ruling, describing it as great news representing the culmination of years of hard work by both sides. Doughton said the move opens an important new market to Namibian beef producers. The Government has in the past projected the potential volume of meat to the US to be as much as 860-thousand kilograms in the first year. That will increase to as much as 5,7 million kilograms in five years, after the ruling has taken full effect on 12th September 2016.