By: Andrew Kathindi
Mines and energy minister Tom Alweendo says that the country needs more local processing for the dimension stone industry.
Alweendo said this when he responded to Popular Democratic Movement member of parliament Johannes Martin in the National Assembly last week.
Martin raised concerns that the potential of the local dimension stone industry was not fully exploited.
“to say that the dimension stone industry potential is not fully developed is only true to the extent that we need to do more in terms of local processing. We now have two-dimension stone processing plants, in Walvis Bay and Karibib.”
According to the mines minister, Namibia has 13 active dimension stones mining operations, of which seven are local investors, and six are foreign investors.
Last year, the industry produced 99 000 tonnes. The two main rock types used within the industry are marble and granite, mainly found in the Erongo Region. Namibia also has sodalite found in the Kunene Region.
“Out of that, 36 000 (36%) tonnes was processed locally, while the remaining 63 000 tonnes (64%) was exported in blocks form. Compared to the 2020 production, in 2018, the production volume was 236 000 tonnes. Our export markets are mainly in China, Italy, South Africa, India, and the USA.”
The dimension stone industry was one of several industries identified for mineral beneficiation in Namibia earlier this year when the mines ministry, trade ministry and GIZ-Probats launched a National Mineral Beneficiation Strategy.
“While we are positive about the potential of the dimension stones industry, there is, however, a caveat. And that is that the dimension stone industry is almost like the fashion industry. It is characterised by fads where demand for products such as tiles rises quickly in popularity but then declines about as quickly.”
“This makes it complex for the producers. In addition, we are observing a real threat coming from the synthetic materials against the natural stones. These all add to the anxiety of potential investors in the dimension stone industry.”
According to Alweendo, with regards to attracting more investments into the sector, the government needs to work on issues such as the ease of doing business, skills development, and the availability of inputs such as electricity and water at a competitive cost.
The industry currently employs 400 workers.
Speaking at the launch of the National Mineral Beneficiation Strategy in March this year, trade minister Lucia Iipumbu stated:
“The strategy aims to facilitate the realisation of full social and economic potential that can be derived from Namibia’s vast mineral endowment and to promote investment, trade, and industrial development.”
