Strategically positioned, Namibia and Kenya can deepen economic cooperation and build stronger business partnerships to drive industrial growth, regional trade, and sustainable development.
These were the sentiments of Vice President Lucia Witbooi while speaking at the Namibia-Kenya Business Forum in Nairobi, Kenya. Witbooi said the forum reflects a growing commitment by African countries to strengthen economic cooperation within the continent and unlock shared opportunities through investment and innovation.
The Vice President noted that Namibia and Kenya possess complementary strengths that can support mutually beneficial partnerships across several sectors.
Kenya leads innovation, fintech, entrepreneurship, logistics, and agribusiness, while Namibia offers political stability, sound governance, strategic logistics, and abundant natural resources.
Collaboration opportunities between the two nations include digital innovation, agribusiness, cultural/creative industries, mining value addition, agro-processing, and manufacturing, leveraging Kenya's tech ecosystem with Namibia's stable environment.
"We therefore welcome strategic partnerships with Kenyan businesses and investors in these sectors and many others. Ladies and gentlemen, as governments, we have a responsibility to create enabling environments for business to thrive. Investors require policy certainty, transparent regulatory systems, efficient institutions, and reliable infrastructure," said Witbooi.
The Vice President highlighted modern logistics corridors around Walvis Bay Port, which strengthen trade links between Southern and Eastern Africa.
Witbooi urged forum businesses to pursue joint ventures, technology exchange, and investments for long-term growth.
"If Africa is to realise the aspirations of Agenda 2063, then collaboration between countries such as Namibia and Kenya must become the norm rather than the exception. The future of Africa will not be defined by our challenges but by how boldly and collectively we respond to them.
The Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Investments, Trade and Industry, Lee Kinyanjui, said despite the deep historical ties between Kenya and Namibia, bilateral trade between the two countries stood at only US$6 million in 2025, a figure he described as far below the potential of both economies.
"Let us use our established offices to ensure that we connect our people. While this number serves as a foundation, it is significantly lower than the combined potential of our two nations. Let us use this forum to identify bankable projects, forge strategic partnerships and unlock real investment flows between our two countries. Let's move decisively from dialogue to deals, from potential to production and from goodwill to growth."