Windhoek: The mining industry is poised to significantly expand its employment footprint, as announced by the president of the Chamber of Mines, George Botshiwe, during a recent courtesy visit between the chamber and President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah at State House.

According to Namibia Press Agency, Botshiwe, speaking to Nampa following his engagement with Nandi-Ndaitwah, emphasized the expected impact of three new mines anticipated to come online soon. He noted that these developments would further enhance job opportunities within the sector. “Seeing as [the sector] currently employs over 20,800 permanent staff and over 150,000 people indirectly, there are a lot of new discoveries coming up, especially in copper, so there will be a lot of other jobs that we are going to create without a doubt,” stated Botshiwe.

Botshiwe also reaffirmed the industry’s dedication to supporting government initiatives on value addition, stressing that the export of raw minerals is no longer a sustainable practice. “We do not want to see our minerals going out there in raw form, we want to encourage value addition as much as we can locally,” Botshiwe remarked.

These comments come at a time of increasing advocacy for beneficiation and industrialization in Namibia’s extractive sector, which remains a vital contributor to the nation’s GDP and foreign earnings.