Ashipla-Musavyi invites UAE to invest in Namibia’s diamond industry

THE Minister of International Relations and Trade, Selma Ashipla-Musavyi, has encouraged the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to consider investing in Namibia’s diamond cutting and polishing industry.

“We invite the UAE to explore investment in Namibia’s diamond cutting and polishing industry, and also to form joint ventures to increase value addition before exports,” the minister said.

She made these remarks during a recent meeting with Dr Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the UAE, at the Namibia–UAE High-Level Business Forum in Windhoek. The meeting formed part of Dr Al Zeyoudi’s one-day working visit to Namibia, during which he was accompanied by a high-level business delegation representing a diverse range of sectors.

Ashipla-Musavyi noted that while diamonds are already a major export to the UAE, there remains potential for deeper cooperation in the diamond cutting and polishing sector, as well as in gold. However, she acknowledged that Namibia already has an impressive bilateral trade record with the UAE, which could be further expanded.