The Ministry of International Relations and Trade (MIRT) has initiated a strategic planning workshop aimed at crafting a comprehensive five-year roadmap to boost the country's trade and investment agenda.

Central to this initiative is the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement and the shifting global trade landscape, including United States tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.

The workshop, which brings together key stakeholders, will define the ministry's expanded mandate that now includes both trade and investment components.  

Its Executive Director Penda Naanda highlighted the need for drafting a forward-looking document that positions Namibia and Africa more broadly to take advantage of intra-African trade.

"We have been only facilitating as MIRCO, but now when you look at the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement, it's speaking to us trading amongst us, so we want to see how we can trade with Angola, how we can trade with Angola, how we can trade with Nigeria, how we can trade with Ghana, how we can trade with Congo and so on." 

The workshop will also put special focus on empowering local small and medium-sized enterprises within the framework of the AfCFTA. 

"We are the only African country that exports beef to China; we are probably the only African country that exports beef to the US market, and so we want to expand. And of course, I cannot talk about the EU because we are already exporting our beef to the EU. We have a beef quota with the EU, but we want to expand our market, looking particularly at the African continent."

In response to global trade tensions and legacy tariffs from the Trump administration, the ministry acknowledged the challenges ahead but affirmed that the strategic document under development will serve as a vital guide.

The final document from the workshop will outline the organisation's vision, goals, and strategies.