Namibia and China sign nine deals covering uranium and lithium cooperation

Namibia and China signed nine cooperation agreements during President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah's state visit to China from 5 to 11 July 2026, covering economic development, health, education, mining, agriculture, tourism, media and technology. The package was centred on an economic partnership for shared development, a green minerals agreement, and technical and vocational education and human resource development.

Uranium, lithium and rare earths named explicitly

Both countries identified uranium, lithium and rare earths, alongside local processing and technology transfer, as strategic priorities within the agreements — an explicit acknowledgment of how central Namibian mineral resources have become to Chinese industrial and energy strategy. China is already Namibia's dominant uranium investor through its majority ownership of the Husab mine via Swakop Uranium, and Bannerman Energy's Etango project has separately secured financing from China's CNNC Overseas.

A joint statement from the top

The commitments were announced in a joint statement issued after talks between President Nandi-Ndaitwah and Chinese President Xi Jinping, in which the two countries agreed to deepen economic ties and broaden cooperation across sectors expected to drive Namibia's industrialisation. The high-level nature of the visit — a full state visit rather than a ministerial exchange — signalled the priority both governments attached to the relationship.

Playing both sides of a great-power rivalry

The Beijing agreements came against the backdrop of Namibia simultaneously developing a critical minerals strategy with European Union technical support, a dynamic analysts have described as Namibia using competition between China and the EU for access to its minerals as leverage to extract better terms from both. Rather than aligning exclusively with one bloc, Windhoek appears intent on maximising investment and technology transfer from both relationships.

Why it matters

For a country whose mining sector already contributes 14% of GDP, formalised state-level backing from its largest existing mining investor strengthens the pipeline of Chinese capital available for uranium, lithium and rare earth projects. Whether the agreements translate into new project financings beyond Husab and Etango will be an important indicator of how far China intends to deepen its already dominant position in Namibia's uranium sector.

Whether the agreements translate into new project financings beyond Husab and Bannerman's Etango will be an important indicator of how far China intends to deepen its already dominant position in Namibia's uranium sector over the coming years.

Sources

• Tridge: Namibia, China sign nine cooperation agreements, 11 Jul 2026
• Windhoek Observer: Namibia secures minerals, energy and trade deals with China, 11 Jul 2026

Photo: The Husab uranium mine in Namibia, majority owned by Chinese state interests through Swakop Uranium. Olga Ernst & Hp.Baumeler, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.