The Directorate of International Trade is the focal point and national coordinator of Namibia’s membership to regional and multilateral trade arrangements and economic groupings:
- Southern African Customs Union (SACU),
- Southern African Development Community (SADC),
- Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries
- World Trade Organisation (WTO)
- SACU-European Free Trade Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) Trade Agreement
- SACU-MERCOSUR (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay) Trade Agreement
- SACU-India Preferential Trade Agreement
The key functions of the Directorate are:
Formulation and implementation of Namibia’s external trade policy that:
- Safeguards Namibia’s interest and contributes towards building an equitable multilateral trading system that facilitates and strengthens regional and continental integration and beneficial trade links;
- Preserves the policy space to advance and enhance Namibia’s industrial and economic development and employment creation objectives.
External Trade Development
- Formulating and spearheading the implementation of Namibia’s export development and promotion strategy;
- Creating conditions that would enhance increased exports of Namibian exports, with particular emphasis on high value and value added products;
- Engaging in negotiations at bilateral, regional and multilateral levels to secure, consolidate and expand trade links, preferential market access and conditions for Namibian exports;
- Promoting intra-regional trade and regional economic integration as an important platform for integration into the global economy
- Increasing export capacity by enhancing existing capacity and the development of new potentials.
Trade and export facilitation services:
- Financial and logistical assistance to local enterprises to take part and exhibit their products at trade fairs and expositions
- Collection and dissemination of trade information and analysis market opportunities
- Issuance of permits for import and export of goods and services
- Networking with local exporters and umbrella business organisations