PRESENTATION
The French Namibian Chamber of Commerce and Industry aims to act as a business community whose main purpose is to represent, advise, adapt, train, inform, innovate and monitor the various companies seeking share and penetrate new markets
Namibia…A land of Opportunities
An investment policy and a sophisticated financial sector, under-exploited mineral wealth, low levels of corruption, judicial independence, democratic institutions, freedom of the press, low crime rate helped ensure peace and security. All reports and studies suggest that Namibia became one of the richest countries in Africa in terms of GDP per capita by 5-10 years.
Between Angola, South Africa, respectively north and south and its eastern neighbors, Botswana and Zambia, for which it is the main access to the sea, Namibia extends over of 840,000 km² and a population of nearly 2 million inhabitants.
Independent since 1990, it has a policy of stability and openness based on three major economic areas: Mining, fishing and tourism.
Namibia is ranked 127th in the world for GDP per capita. On the African continent, it ranks fifth in terms of per capita income and 11th in terms of human development index.
An investment policy and development
Namibia is a priority to improve the business environment. In line with the Law on Foreign Investment in 1993 (Foreign Investment Act), the attractiveness of Namibia for investors is guaranteed by a legislative and regulatory framework, a system that encourages competition and a low crime rate . In the Doing Business 2012 report of the World Bank, Namibia remains among African countries ranked highest
Financial sector
Namibia has a financial system among the most sophisticated, most diversified and most advanced in Africa. According to the 2011/12 report on global competitiveness, its banking sector is healthy and stable, which ranks seventh in African countries. In January 2010, the BoN was able to adopt the Basel II framework, which sets the level of regulatory capital.
All commercial banks are private and their funding comes largely from South Africa. One of them, the Standard Bank of Namibia is owned 100 percent by South African interests. Commercial Bank of Namibia is mainly in the hands of French and German South African interests. Two banks are holding Namibian capital, Windhoek Bank (56.4 per cent) and City Savings and Investment Bank (46.5 per cent, the bank has recently merged with a company construction loans, SWABOU). First National Bank and Standard Bank account for almost two thirds of the banking market.
Public sector management, institutions and reforms
In terms of governance, Namibia consistently ranks in the top tier of sub-Saharan Africa. Its institutions are democratic and functioning properly, freedom of the press and the rule of law are respected, which helped to ensure peace and security. The judiciary is independent and rules of accountability and transparency are broadly respected. In general, the country gets a score of at least 4 to 5 different categories in the evaluation of policies and institutions (CPIA) of the World Bank Group,
The existence of an independent regulatory body and the fight against corruption and impartiality of the judiciary contribute to the observed low level of corruption in the country. In 2010 the index of perception of corruption, Transparency International, Namibia ranks 56th in the world (178 countries), slightly up compared to 2009 where she was the 57th instead. At the Southern African and sub-Saharan Africa, respectively occupies the 4th and 6th of the least corrupt country after Botswana, Mauritius, Cape Verde, Seychelles and South Africa.
We are not alone in believing:
(Ecofin Agency) – According to Frost & Sullivan, Namibia has a significant energy potential. “The discovery of the Kudu gas field and expected resources could help the country achieve greater energy independence and significantly reduce its dependence on imports.”
Muneera for Salie, an analyst at Frost & Sullivan, the country is very likely under-explored and if the inferred resources are confirmed, “it could be that this country become one of Africa’s richest in terms of GDP per capita over the next five to ten years. ”
The rapid growth of the oil and gas industry is expected by 2018, with the opening of six to eight new exploration wells in two years.
Economic growth of Namibia will also be stimulated by the expansion of mines in Namibia, particularly uranium mines.