Namibia Eyes Ghana Textiles to Cut Import Reliance

By News Ghana 

August 23, 2026

Association of Ghana Industries (AGI)Exploring African Diaspora Media

Namibia’s top diplomat in Accra is pushing for a direct industrial partnership with Ghanaian manufacturers, aiming to source textiles from a country that produces what Namibia currently imports.

Ndiyakupi Nghituwamata, Namibian High Commissioner to Ghana, raised the proposal during a visit to the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) office in Ho, part of a broader tour of the Volta Region. She said Namibia relies heavily on imported textiles and sees Ghana’s established production capacity as a chance to source both raw materials and finished goods from within Africa rather than from outside the continent.

The visit doubled as fact-finding. Nghituwamata said she wanted a clearer picture of AGI’s operations and Ghana’s exportable goods and expertise before identifying where cooperation would pay off, whether through knowledge sharing, technology transfer or expanded trade between the two countries.

Her pitch sits inside a wider argument about African manufacturing. She said many African countries produce similar raw commodities but lack the processing capacity to turn them into finished goods, a gap she said demands more cooperation between African industries rather than continued reliance on imports from outside the continent.

Dela Gbeve, AGI chairman for the Volta, Eastern and Oti regions, welcomed the approach and said the association is ready to work with Namibian counterparts to drive industrial development and create jobs in both countries. He said AGI is already collaborating with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat on implementing the continental trade agenda, and continues to lobby government and policymakers on issues affecting Ghanaian businesses while helping entrepreneurs build capacity to compete internationally.

Gbeve also credited his predecessor, Dela Gadzanku, now AGI Vice President for the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) sector, for expertise the region continues to draw on in its industrial development efforts.