Minister of Industries, Mines and Energy, Modestus Amutse, has challenged foreign mining investors to go beyond extracting Namibia’s mineral resources by investing in local beneficiation and skills development, and by promoting Namibians into leadership positions.
Speaking at the rebranding of Gezhouba Mining Services to GMS Namibia Mining Services in Windhoek on Tuesday, Amutse said Namibia remained committed to supporting foreign investors who create jobs, develop local skills and retain more value within the domestic economy.
He said the country’s mining industry should be measured not only by the minerals it produces but also by the economic opportunities it creates for Namibians through employment, procurement, technology transfer, and local value addition.
“These are not simply figures. They represent jobs for our citizens, skills transferred to our people, and value retained within the Namibian economy through the local value chain,” Amutse said.
The minister noted that more than 90% of GMS Namibia Mining Services’ workforce of over 450 employees are Namibians and that the company has spent more than N$1.2 billion on local procurement since establishing operations in the country in 2021.
He, however, said localisation should not end with employment targets.
“Localisation should not stop at employment numbers. It should also include skills transfer and meaningful Namibian participation in the management and leadership of companies operating in this country,” he said.
Amutse also renewed the government’s call for greater mineral beneficiation, saying Namibia must strengthen domestic processing and capture more value from its mineral resources rather than continuing to export them largely in raw form.
His remarks come as government intensifies efforts to expand local participation across the mining value chain, with beneficiation remaining one of the country’s key industrialisation objectives.
GMS Namibia Mining Services, a Chinese-owned contractor providing integrated open-pit mining services, adopted its new corporate identity as part of a broader strategy to strengthen its operations in Namibia.
Chief executive officer Wen Shu said the company would continue investing in developing Namibian professionals through expanded training programmes to support the long-term growth of the country’s mining industry.
Economic and Commercial Counsellor at the Chinese Embassy in Namibia Wei Jinming said Chinese companies operating in Namibia should align their business growth with the country’s national development priorities by creating employment opportunities and investing in local technical and managerial skills.
“An enterprise’s growth cannot be separated from the development of its host country; only by closely aligning its own future with Namibia’s development can it move forward steadily and go far,” Wei said.
The rebranding ceremony took place on the sidelines of the 13th Namibia Mining Expo and Conference, held at the Windhoek Showgrounds from 4 to 6 August, where government and industry are focusing on mining-led economic growth, investment, local value addition, and beneficiation.
