China is backing Namibia’s bid to move beyond raw material exports by supporting the domestic processing of critical minerals and uranium.

In a joint communique issued on Friday following bilateral talks in Beijing between Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his counterpart Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, China pledged to help transform Namibia’s natural resources into higher-value products through domestic processing and downstream cooperation.

Namibia, which has exported unprocessed minerals for decades, is seeking Chinese investment to process lithium, cobalt and uranium, a key fuel for nuclear energy reactors.

In 2023, Namibia followed similar steps taken by Zimbabwe to ban the export of unprocessed lithium and other critical elements to ensure the country captures a greater share of the mineral’s value chain.

With Beijing’s support, Namibia aims to improve its industrialisation and local processing capacity to “promote Namibia’s further integration into the global value chain”, especially in the fields of new energy, green hydrogen, oil and gas, mining and infrastructure, according to the joint statement.

“Cooperation between China and Namibia is of great significance for increasing the added value of key mineral resources, including uranium,” the joint statement noted, with Namibia inviting Chinese firms to invest and do business in the country to jointly promote the smooth development of major economic cooperation projects.

The Namibian minister’s visit and a trip by Wang to Namibia last year align with China’s move to secure fuel for its expanding nuclear reactor fleet.

As the world’s third-largest uranium producer, Namibia hosts two major Chinese-owned mines – Husab and Rössing – that supply a significant portion of China’s requirements.