Namibia eyes local mineral processing
Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah told foreign investors at an Invest Africa event that they must build local processing plants or look elsewhere, and that local partnership is being put into law. Namibia has required 15% local ownership for new mining licenses since 2021. She cited unemployment above 40% and said young Africans are currently pushed out by continental conditions.
Why it matters: This underscores the critical-minerals theme: African producers are using demand leverage to force local processing and capture more of the value chain.